The welwitschia is probably the strangest plant in the world. While most known plants shed their leaves at some point in time, this plant never sheds its leaves. The plant consists of two leaves, a stem base and roots.
The uniqueness of the plant lies in the fact that the two leaves that the plant has will stay on it for as long as the plant lives. However, do not think that the plant has a short life span. It lives for centuries! The average lifespan of these plants is 400 to 1500 years. Many welwitschia plants alive today are 500 to 600 years old and some large ones are thought to be 2000 years old.
The two permanent leaves of the plant never cease to grow. They are broad and as hard as wood. They lie on the ground, and look like torn and shred ribbons in their appearance. There are male and female plants. They flower from summer to autumn.
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