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The plant is considered a living fossil.
Welwitschia grows from a short, thick, woody trunk, with only two leaves that continuously grow from their base, and a long, thick taproot. After germination, the cotyledons grow to 25–35 mm in length, and are followed shortly afterward by the appearance of two permanent leaves. These leaves are produced opposite of the cotyledons, and continue to grow throughout the entire life of the plant. They eventually grow to a length of 2–4 m and usually become split into several strap-shaped sections, thus sometimes The species is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Fertilization, that is, the transfer of the pollen from the male to the female strobili, is 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 they are very long-lived, living 1000 years or more. Some individuals may be more than 2000 years old.[

The south-african name is ;twee blaar kan nie dood nie!!!!!
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Comments on this photo:

Oct 10 2009 15:38 GMT cdc PRO
great capture
thank you for this information
Oct 10 2009 15:52 GMT senna3
What a unique image!
Oct 10 2009 19:11 GMT clintonfolks
great find.!
Oct 11 2009 03:34 GMT MargNZ
How interesting .. thank you Yvon :)
Oct 11 2009 14:10 GMT sini
Interesting image!:)
Oct 11 2009 14:32 GMT yvon
with a guide!!!
Oct 11 2009 18:00 GMT soldier
Yesss... interesting!!!!
Oct 11 2009 19:44 GMT Milibuh
Interesting !!!
Great shot...
Oct 11 2009 20:04 GMT otilia
excellent¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
Oct 12 2009 16:11 GMT PaP67
très intéressant !
Oct 12 2009 19:22 GMT Goudlokjes
It certainly looks old... I don't think it will sell innowaday's flowershops!

Nice background story...
Oct 13 2009 06:24 GMT Pinkpitch
Very beautiful shot and useful info ...

FT2