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Why do Welwitschia leaves become split and frayed as the plant ages?
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Gnetophyte
Welwitschia, or tumboa (Welwitschia mirabilis), in Namibia.
The two permanent, straplike leaves of Welwitschia mirabilis grow continuously throughout the plant's life, added to at the base by a meristem at a rate of 8 to 15 cm per year.12
As the plant ages, these leaves become split and frayed primarily due to erosion caused by the hot sand at their tips. Because of this constant wear, the leaves often appear as many separate segments rather than the original pair, even though they are continuously replenished by new tissue growth at the base.132