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Welwitschia mirabilis looks almost like a pile of giant leaves lying on the desert floor. Surprisingly, the plant produces only two true leaves. Those leaves begin growing when the plant is young and continue growing throughout its life.
They can eventually become several meters long and split into numerous strap-like sections.
Individual plants can survive for more than a thousand years. The species naturally occurs in extremely dry parts of Namibia and Angola.
Instead of replacing its leaves repeatedly, this extraordinary plant essentially keeps expanding the same original pair.
© Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew