Welwitschia mirabilis subsp. namibiana keeping its own company

Welwitschia mirabilis subsp. namibiana grows only two leaves in its lifetime, estimated to be up to about 2000 years in duration. The two leaves following upon the initial cotyledons grow continuously “from a basal meristem in the plants terminal groove”. The leaves reach lengths of 2 m to 4 m, depending on the kindness of conditions and events in its immediate environment. Splitting may occur as well as fraying and shredding into several separated strap-shaped sections by injuries and the distortions of the woody portions at the top of the central stem, surrounding the apical slit.

The plants are dioecious, male and female plants growing separately. Simultaneous flowering by plants of both genders in the same locality is required for successful pollination. Fertilization, the transfer of pollen from the male to the female strobili, is carried out by insects, including flies and bugs. (A strobilus is a cone-like structure, woody or not, consisting of a stem and branches, modified leaves or stems that bear the sporangia needed for propagation.) The commonest of the pollinator bugs attending Welwitschia is Odontopus sexpunctatus, a member of the Pyrrhocoridae family, also known as the Welwitschia bug (Rhino Club Newsletter, September 2013; iSpot; Wikipedia).