Welwitschia mirabilis
E88751
Welwitschia mirabilis is a unique, long-lived desert plant native to southwestern Africa, known for its two continuously growing leaves and remarkable adaptation to extremely arid conditions.
Aliases (2)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
desert plant
→
gymnosperm → plant species → |
| adaptation |
slow growth rate
→
sunken stomata → thick cuticle on leaves → tolerance to extreme aridity → |
| binomialName |
Welwitschia mirabilis
→
|
| conservationStatus |
Near Threatened
→
|
| describedBy |
Friedrich Welwitsch
→
Joseph Dalton Hooker → |
| discoveredIn |
1859
→
|
| division |
Gnetophyta
→
|
| ecologicalRole |
desert keystone plant
→
|
| endemicTo |
fog-influenced coastal deserts of southwestern Africa
→
|
| family |
Welwitschiaceae
→
|
| genus |
Welwitschia
→
|
| growthForm |
low-growing shrub-like plant
→
|
| habitat |
gravel plains
→
hyper-arid desert → |
| kingdom |
Plantae
→
|
| leafCharacteristic |
continuously growing leaves
→
evergreen leaves → strap-shaped leaves → |
| leafNumber |
two
→
|
| lifespan |
hundreds of years
→
over 1000 years → |
| namedAfter |
Friedrich Welwitsch
→
|
| nativeTo |
Angola
→
Namib Desert → Namibia → |
| notableFeature |
extreme longevity
→
highly unusual morphology among plants → only two leaves produced in a lifetime → |
| order |
Gnetales
→
|
| photosynthesisType |
C3 photosynthesis
→
|
| photosyntheticOrgan |
leaves
→
|
| pollination |
insect-pollinated
→
wind-pollinated → |
| protectedIn |
Namib-Naukluft National Park
→
|
| reproduction |
dioecious
→
separate male and female plants → |
| reproductiveStructure |
cones
→
|
| rootSystem |
deep taproot
→
|
| seedDispersal |
wind dispersal
→
|
| stemCharacteristic |
short woody trunk-like stem
→
|
| taxonRank |
species
→
|
| waterSource |
fog condensation
→
groundwater → |
Referenced by (5)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Welwitschia mirabilis
→
|
binomialName |
|
Gnetophyta
("Welwitschia")
→
|
containsGenus |
|
Namib-Naukluft National Park
("welwitschia mirabilis")
→
|
flora |
|
Welwitschia mirabilis
("Welwitschia")
→
|
genus |
|
Namib Desert
→
|
hasEndemicSpecies |