Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitschia mirabilis is a gymnosperm in the Gnetophyta division. It is the sole member of the Welwitschia genus. The plant, considered a living fossil, is named after Austrian botanist, Friedrich Welwitsch, the man that discovered it in 1859. The species is found only in the Namib Desert of Namibia and Angola.

Biology
W. mirabilis grows from a short, thick, trunk, with two leaves that keep growing from their base. It has a long thick taproot. These cotyledons grow 25-35 mm long, and are followed by two permanent leaves. These leaves grow throughout the life of the plant. They will eventually grow to 2-4 m, and usually splitting into several strap-shaped sections. After they appear, the buds appear, and their growing tips die. The growth is sideways, making the stem obconical. The species is dioecious, with males and females. Pollination happens when the pollen from the male reaches the females’ strobili, and insects will also come by, and get attracted to the "nectar" they produce.

The ages of these plants are difficult to determine, but they are long lived, and live 1,000 years or more. Some of the plants have even reached to over 2,000 years.

It absorbs water from the tips of the leaves. It gets such water from the dew that forms on it over night.

This plant is considered endangered, due to slow growth and collecting, but a fair number of these plants live in the wild.

Heraldry
The plant is a charge in the coat of arms of Namibia.