In the hyperarid desert bridging Angola and Namibia lives a flora known by the Afrikaans tweeblaarkannidood , meaning “ two farewell that can not pass ” . It ’s a meet deed forWelwitschia mirabilis , an exotic - like plant whose astonishing biological science and extreme length of service has been studied extensively . The upper estimate for maximal age stretch as far as 3,000 days , not bad for whatKew Magazinecalled “ the ugly plant in the world ” back in the ' XC .
It was named after Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch in 1859 who , upon control it for the first metre , Kewsays , “ could do nothing but kneel down and gaze at it , half in awe lest a touching should prove it a figment of the imagination ” . Sounds like a prospicient meter ago , but any seedlings around when Welwitsch was on his knees would be moot young whippersnappers today . At least , by Welwitschia standard .
Welwitschia mirabilis, an ancient superhero
According toIndiana University Bloomington , these plants are the only support genus of the familyWelwitschiaceae , which is why some consider them to be a “ life dodo ” . Specimens have been carbon - dated to reveal ages of around 500 to 600 geezerhood older , but their estimated lifespan is thought to be between 400 to 1,500 years , and some of the largest specimen may even offer to nearer3,000 years .
A2021 studyexplored the inherited chemical mechanism corroborate its uttermost length of service and found thatWelwitschiaunderwent a duplication case 86 million years ago , providing the excess genetic material that helped it adapt to desert status . Its ceaseless leaf are the resultant of the cistron KNOX1 , ARP3 , and ARP4 that keep its basal meristem growing indefinitely , and it also has multiple copies of genes that protect against heat and drought . Something of a desert life superhero , and that ’s before you consider all the expert it does for the environment .
Adapting to desert life
The surroundings in which Welwitschia grows is so dry , in fact , that it has evolved what ’s known as crassulacean acid metabolism ( CAM ) to endure . CAM is a carbon paper fixation nerve tract that ’s develop in several works that live in arid conditions , and it ’s a good adaptation because it sees the flora switch between photosynthesis during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to throttle exchange at night . For a while , nobody was quite sure ifWelwitschiareally was a CAM plant , but after20 years of research , scientists were able to affirm thatWelwitschiadoes indeed utilize CAM ( even if nobody knows why it does n’t apply it as much as expected ) .
What little water it does get is usually sweeping through in the form of fog , and it ’s here that its bafflingly tenacious folio issue forth in handy . They act as a moisture ambush , but when in question , Welwitschiaalso have long taproots that seek out piss underground .
Those leaves have earned aGuinness World Recordfor being the longest - lived leaves of all works , with a mean full leaf area of 1 square meter ( 10.7 square feet ) . They never shed their foliage , but they do keep growing as the tips get wear away by desert life . The total plant can grow to be massive , with some of the most ancient individuals straggle over 10 meters ( 33 feet ) in circuit .
Welwitschia’sleaves start out normal enough and then they just keep on growing.Image credit: Trialist / Shutterstock.com
Welwitschia’smany ecosystem services
Being so enceinte and gangly comes with its perks , asWelwitschiais a “ litter cakehole ” that catches organic matter being blown across the desert , enriching what would otherwise have been sterile stain . Their size also comes in handy for the animals that use it for shelter , like Gray ’s titlark , snakes , lizards , scorpions , spider , and insects . tumid creature like oryx and springbok chew its leaves for moisture .
If dish is in the eye of the beholder , then it looks like “ the ugliest plant life in the world ” appears downright sexy to a thirsty antelope , actually . And if you think that ’s unearthly , just wait until to take heed what thelatest celebrity bloom at Kew smells like .
