Welwitschiales

Welwitschiales is an order of gymnosperm plants within the Gnetales division. It contains a single living genus, Welwitschia, with just one species, W. mirabilis. This unique plant is native to the Namib desert in southwestern Africa.

Welwitschia mirabilis is characterized by a deep taproot and a cone-shaped trunk. It produces only two broad, straplike leaves that grow continuously throughout its life, reaching lengths of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) before their tips erode. The plant also has a pair of seed leaves (cotyledons) that wither soon after germination, and small scalelike leaves protecting the stem tip. Both male and female cones grow in a ring above the leaves. Despite living in an arid environment with minimal rainfall, some Welwitschia specimens are estimated to be 1,500 to 2,000 years old.123