Welwitschia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Welwitschia | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Gnetophyta |
| Class: | Gnetopsida |
| Order: | Welwitschiales |
| Family: | Welwitschiaceae |
| Genus: | Welwitschia |
| Species: | W. mirabilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Welwitschia mirabilis Hook.f. |
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Welwitschia or Welwitschia mirabilis is known as one the oldest living plants. It can be called a "living fossil". The plant is mainly found in the deserts of Namibia. It is debated that certain plants are more than 5000 years old. This would make it the oldest living thing on Earth.
It is named after the discoverer, Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch. The plant is locally called "long haired thing". Its structure consists of a short, woody, topshaped stem, and never more than two leaves, which are enormously long, (two or three metres) and at length split into diverging segments.
