northern limit of its range, Stangeria eriopus also grows on clay or very stony soils. Conservation IUCN Red List Category & Criteria: Vulnerable, mainly due to habitat loss and over-exploiting for traditional medicine. It is listed under CITES Appendix I / EU Annex A, which prohibits international trade in specimens of this species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research. The species is threatened by the destruction of its habitat and the unsustainable harvesting for traditional medicinal purposes. Another possible threat to the species is the lobster louse (Diaspididae) Aulacaspis yasumatsui. The insect originally hails from Thailand where it infests their cycads. The pest has now been introduced to Florida, Hawaii, Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands, where it causes significant damage to cycads. If the species is introduced to South Africa, it could drastically reduce or even destroy the Stangeria population in a short amount of time. Stangeria eriopus is also a carrier of the fungus Guignardia mangiferae, which causes great damage to citrus fruit, but remains on the plant without symptoms. The larvae of the butterfly Callioratis millari feed on the leaves of the species. The Stangeria eriopus can be asexually reproduced from root parts. It is the first species of cycad that has been propagated using tissue culture, which simplifies the conservation of the species. Discovery When Gustav Kunze discovered the first plants, he incorrectly designated them as ferns probably due to the primitive nerves, under the name Lomaria coriacea. In 1839 he described it again as a separate species of fern as Lomaria eriopus. It was not until 1851 that William Stanger discovered that they were cycads when he observed the cones. He sent samples to England, where they were described by Thomas Moore described the Art 1853 as Stangeria paradoxa and thus also established the genus. However, since the epithet "eriopus" of Kunze was validly described, Henri Ernest Baillon with his description in 1892 the correct name as Stangeria eriopus. Etymology The genus was named in honor of William Stanger (1811-1854), who sent the first cones to England. He was an English physician and naturalist who worked in South Africa. The binomial name comes from the Greek prefix erio-, meaning "woolly", and suffix -pus, "footed", referring to the woolly petiole bases. It was named in honour of William Stanger, a former surveyor-general of Natal. Common names includes