Welwitschia is a monotypic genus of gymnosperm plant, composed solely of the very

distinct Welwitschia mirabilis. It is the only genus of the family Welwitschiaceae, in the
order Welwitschiales, in the division Gnetophyta. The plant is considered a living fossil.
[1]
Female plant
The geographic distribution of Welwitschia mirabilis is limited to south-est !frica,
specifically, to the "amib desert ithin the to countries, "amibia and !ngola.
The largest #non Welwitschia, nic#named $The %ig Welwitschia$, stands 1.& m tall and
is over & m in diameter.
Contents
[hide]
1 %iology
' (cientific classification according to different sources
) *eraldry
& (ee also
+ ,eferences
- ./ternal lin#s
[edit] Biology
0etail photograph of female plant
0etail photograph of male plant
1elitschia gros from a short, thic# trun#, ith only to leaves that continuously gro
from their base, and a long, thic# taproot. !fter germination, the cotyledons gro to '+2
)+ mm in length, and are folloed shortly afterards by the appearance of to
permanent leaves. These leaves are produced opposite of the cotyledons, and continue to
gro throughout the entire life of the plant. They eventually gro to a length of '2& m
and usually become split into several strap-shaped sections, thus sometimes disguising
the origin from only to leaves. !fter these appear, to cotyledonary buds appear3 in
these, the groing tip dies, causing elongation of the buds. Groth continues sideays,
hich forms the obconical groth of the stem. The species is dioecious, ith separate
male and female plants. Fertili4ation, that is, the transfer of the pollen from the male to
the female strobili, is apparently carried out by insects that are attracted by $nectar$
produced on both male and female strobili.
[']
The age of the plants is difficult to assess, but it is believed that they are very long-lived,
possibly living 1555 years or more. (ome individuals may be more than '555 years old.
The plant is thought to absorb ater through peculiar structures on its leaves, harvesting
moisture originating from de that forms during the night. !s a further adaptation to the
arid conditions and hot daytime temperatures in its environment, and as the only
gymnosperm species #non to do so, W. mirabilis uses the crassulacean acid metabolism
67!89 pathay for carbon fi/ation in photosynthesis.
[)]
"amed after the (lovenian
botanist 0r. Friedrich 1elitsch ho discovered it in 1:-5, it is generally considered to
be one of the oddest plants in e/istence. !lthough considered endangered due to its very
slo groth and despite the fact that older plants are often sought by collectors, a fair
number of plants e/ist in the ild. The plants living in !ngola are generally considered to
be better protected than the plants in "amibia, oing to the relatively high concentration
of landmines in !ngola, hich #eep collectors aay
[citation needed]
.
The species gros readily from seed, hich may be purchased from specialty seed
dealers. The seed must be #ept moist for the first couple of ee#s and e/posed to as
much heat and light as possible during this time. (eeds collected from the ild are often
heavily contaminated ith spores of Aspergillus niger, hich causes them to rot shortly
after they germinate. (eeds from the ;irstenbosch "ational %otanical Garden in 7ape
Ton, (outh !frica, or other cultivated sources are much cleaner and less li#ely to rot.
[citation needed