Welwitschia mirabilis in the Namib Desert

Dear Readers, it would be easy to drive past this unprepossessing plant, growing by the roadside in the Namib Desert. But what a shame that would be, for the Welwitschia is not only one of the longest-lived plants in the world, with some individuals being an estimated two thousand years old, but it also forms an interesting transitional point between flowering plants and gymnosperms (ferns and conifers).

Welwitschia plants have only two leaves, which grow from the centre of the plant and become increasingly long and frayed as it grows. The plants can be male or female, and, where we saw them, they appeared to alternate between male and female plants. The plants produce cones but these are insect-pollinated, usually by flies.

For a while, it was thought that Welwitschia was essentially a seedling that didn’t develop further, because of its two leaves. However, further studies have shown that the plant does, in fact, produce an ‘apical stem’ (the central stem that we see in most plants once they’ve developed their first two leaves), but that this dies back, leaving the two leaves to just get bigger and bigger around a ‘crown’ where the cones are produced. The two leaves can reach a length of up to 4 metres, although the plant never gets above a metre and a half in height. It probably gets all its water from fog, ephemeral lakes and the odd torrential downpour.

Although the plant looks decidedly inedible, the crown is sometimes roasted by the Herero people, who call it ‘the onion of the desert’. And if you look closely at the coat of arms of Namibia, you can see a Welwitschia in the yellow plaque at the bottom….

What a survivor this plant is! It’s found only in the Namib, and although it might not be as impressive to look at as a desert-adapted elephant, it’s every bit as doughty and resilient. Frayed and dusty, it survives and even thrives in conditions that would make toast of most living organisms. What an honour to have met it!