Welwitschia mirabilis, a "living fossil" endemic to the Namib desert — Kyoto Botanical Gardens, Japan.

Welwitschia mirabilis is endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola. This "living fossil" is the only species in its genus and the only living genus of the family Welwitschiaceae and order Welwitschiales, in the division Gnetophyta. Two (rarely 3) foliage leaves grow at the edge of a woody bilobed crown. Kyoto Botanical Gardens, founded 1924, is the oldest and most comprehensive public botanical garden in Japan — a hidden gem.

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Filename: 24.11JPN-1099.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 5472x3648 / 6.2MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Plantae plants
Contained in galleries: 2024 Oct: JAPAN all, Kyoto

Welwitschia mirabilis is endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola. This "living fossil" is the only species in its genus and the only living genus of the family Welwitschiaceae and order Welwitschiales, in the division Gnetophyta. Two (rarely 3) foliage leaves grow at the edge of a woody bilobed crown. Kyoto Botanical Gardens, founded 1924, is the oldest and most comprehensive public botanical garden in Japan — a hidden gem.