How do Welwitschia mirabilis cones differ from its leaves?

In Welwitschia mirabilis, the leaves and cones serve fundamentally different biological functions and exhibit distinct physical characteristics.12

• Leaves: The plant produces only two permanent, broad, straplike leaves that grow continuously from a basal meristem throughout the plant's life. While they can reach lengths of several meters, their tips are constantly eroded by sand, and they often become frayed and split with age. Aside from these, the plant only produces a pair of short-lived cotyledons and two small, scalelike leaves that protect the stem tip.12
• Cones: These are the plant's reproductive structures, which grow in a ring above the leaves. Unlike the vegetative leaves, the staminate (male) and ovulate (female) cones are morphologically complex. The male cones contain flowerlike structures with stamenlike parts, while the female cones are simpler, consisting of scales that each subtend a single ovule.12