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Welwitschia mirabilis is the flagship species of the Kaokoveld Desert ecoregion, located in the Southwest African Coastal Drylands bioregion (AT10). Known as a “living fossil”, it is widely believed that the Welwitschia evolved around the same time as the dinosaurs, around 200 million years ago
Welwitschia mirabilis is a dwarf woody shrub or tree (usually less than 3 feet in height) and is unjustifiably labeled as one of the world’s ugliest plants. Its description is fairly simple as it has only two leaves, a stem base, a taproot and its reproductive cones. As uncomplicated as it seems, though, this plant is a standout because has only two large, strap-like leaves that seemingly grow to an infinite length throughout the lifetime of the plant. Its woody stem widens with age and becomes a concave disc up to a meter across from which small, ramified branch systems emerge that serve to bear pollen and seed cones.
Welwitschia mirabilis is a dwarf woody shrub or tree (usually less than 3 feet in height) and is unjustifiably labeled as one of the world’s ugliest plants. Its description is fairly simple as it has only two leaves, a stem base, a taproot and its reproductive cones. As uncomplicated as it seems, though, this plant is a standout because has only two large, strap-like leaves that seemingly grow to an infinite length throughout the lifetime of the plant. Its woody stem widens with age and becomes a concave disc up to a meter across from which small, ramified branch systems emerge that serve to bear pollen and seed cones.