The World's Most Restive Plant

The World's Most Resistive Plant is called Welwitschia, it is a monotypic gymnosperm genus, comprising solely the distinctive Welwitschia mirabilis. The plant is commonly known simply as welwitschia in English, but the name tree tumbo is also used. Welwitschia is the only living genus of the family Welwitschiaceae and orderWelwitschiales, in the division Gnetophyta. Informal sources commonly refer to the plant as a "living fossil".Welwitschia mirabilis is endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola.
It's not pretty to look at, but Namibia's plant Welwitschia Mirabilis can truly claim to be one of a kind. There really is nothing like it. Welwitschia plant consists of only two leaves and a sturdy stem with roots. That's all! Two leaves continue to grow until they resemble the shaggy mane of some sci-fi alien. 


Welwitschia mirabilis is a perennial plant that grows up to 2 metres high. It has a taproot that is elongate, usually branching near the apex.The woody, unbranched stem often splits into 2 lobes with an obconical shape - a conical shape but with a downwards-pointing apex. The apex growth of the stem stops at an early stage giving this peculiar and unique habit.It has just 2 opposite, entire, simple leaves with continuous basal growth. The leaves are up to 9m long and 2m wide, tearing lengthways into strips and wearing away at the tips. The texture is leathery and the pair of leaves is parallel-veined.It is a dioecious plant, so male and female cones are produced on separate plants:

• salmon-coloured male strobili are oblong, cone-like structures that are 1–4cm long, 5–7mm wide, and on a pedicel 2–5 mm long, with bracteoles1–3mm long
• female strobili are larger than male strobili - 3.5–8cm long, 2–3cm wide, with outer bracteoles 5mm long and inner bracteoles 8mm long

This plant's seeds are 3.5cm long and 3cm wide, white to creamish white with persistent papery winged bracteoles.

Original Article on Scienceplaza