A retired couple in Worcestershire, UK, planted a Wollemi pine tree fifteen years ago in their back garden, now it has produced seeds worth over $6,000.
They only paid $93 for it
When Pamela and Alistair Thompson bought a Wollemi pine sapling back in 2010, it only cost them $93. Now, the seeds it has produced for the first time are worth a lot more.
The 75-year-old couple had bought the tree after learning that dinosaurs used to snack on its fruit.
It dates back 90 million years
Wollemi pines, which are also referred to as dinosaur trees, date back more than 90 million years and are said to have produced fruit that dinosaurs used to snack on.
They are also classified as critically endangered, but the Thompsons have one in their backyard.
It produced seeds for the first time
Fifteen years after buying it as a sapling, the couple’s Wollemi pine has produced seeds for the first time.
If each cone on the prehistoric tree produces hundreds of seeds, the couple could be in for tens of thousands of dollars in the years to come.
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The tree actually bore fruit earlier than usual
Pamela said she was shocked to see the tree bearing its fruit for the first time ever in April of this year, and only this week in August has she seen its seeds.
“This year has been so unusually dry, it happened earlier,” she said, per the BBC. “I reached up to a female cone and the seeds all cascaded into my cupped hands as I touched it.”
Pamela was excited by seeing the seeds
“It was very exciting actually collecting the seeds from such an ancient tree that lived when dinosaurs roamed – I shall definitely try to germinate seeds from a critically endangered tree,” Pamela said.
They’ll use the money for charity
Alistair said of the latest developments, “It really does prove that money can grow on trees!”
The couple hope to put the money from their latest endeavor towards charity by selling the seeds in small packs. “I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000 ($1,300) which shows just how rare they are,” Pamela said.
They’ll sell the seeds to online retailers
“We are planning to package the seeds into bundles of five or six and sell them online for £5 ($6.70), so around £1 ($1.34) per seed,” the grandmother of three said.
“We’ve seen some online retailers sell them for much more than that but we would want to make them accessible for people as well as raise money for charity. We don’t yet know how many seeds would be healthy and produce trees, only time will tell.”