A little wonder, every day

Welwitschia’s two leaves can grow for centuries

Welwitschia mirabilis у ботанічному саду Каліфорнійського університету; вік цього екземпляра не встановлено / Welwitschia mirabilis at the University of California Botanical Garden; this specimen’s age is not established. Credit: Awinch1001; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=177953861

Welwitschia mirabilis у регіоні Кунене, Намібія, 6 травня 2023 року; польове спостереження, без приписування точного віку / Welwitschia mirabilis observed in Kunene, Namibia, on 6 May 2023; a field observation without an assigned exact age. Credit: dune_ninja; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=184919029

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Welwitschia mirabilis у ботанічному саду Каліфорнійського університету; вік цього екземпляра не встановлено / Welwitschia mirabilis at the University of California Botanical Garden; this specimen’s age is not established. Credit: Awinch1001; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=177953861

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Welwitschia mirabilis has one pair of persistent true leaves that continue growing throughout its life. Their ends age and split, making the plant appear to have many more leaves. Individual plants can live for more than a thousand years, although exact ages of old specimens are difficult to establish. This does not mean every Welwitschia is a thousand years old or that all its leaf tissue remains unchanged.