Welwitschia mirabilis - for Andrea by Meisiekind
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Namibia 2010
I have capture this amazing plant on my recent trip to Namibia. Here is some info on it from Wikipedia! I would strongly suggest you all read more about it!
"The Welwitchia, which is considered a living fossil, is named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch who discovered it in 1859. The geographic distribution of Welwitschia mirabilis is limited to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola. Welwitschia grows from a short, thick, woody trunk, with only two leaves that continuously grow from their base, and a long, thick taproot. The species is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. (This image is of a male plant and the plant seen in the distance is actually a female plant!) The age of the plants is difficult to assess, but they are very long-lived, living 1000 years or more. Some individuals may be more than 2000 years old."
They are considered endangered! Hope you enjoy this wonder of nature!
Thank for all your support in comments and favs and all the notes and sitemails I have received with regards to my safety in the current circumstances in SA! You guys rock!
Stay well!
Hugs
Carin xx
Tomorrow I will upload a close-up image of both the male and female flowers.

Comments (37)
Stunning capture Carin.
WOW! I'm very impressed! that is one cool plant! Thanks for sharing it with us!
A very unusual specimen. It does look rather prehistoric.
Nice capture...
What an amazing find. Excellent capture.
Pianta molto particolare ! Grande cattura di essa ! Una vita infinita!!! Plant very special! Great capture of it! Infinitely!
How extraordinary and exciting! Thankyou for this Carin.. I shall have to read about who is the go-between in any reproduction activity! It's a very good thing they live so long, it could take ages for a love message to get to one from the other!
Superb and very interesting shot!
so special and very interesting !
Excellent shot, fantastic POV, colors and light. An interesting plant indeed.
Thankyou for your stunning shot and info.
wonderful!
interesting specimen, cool shot.
Taking off on Andrea's comment above...just think of these poor, green, woody creatures...they can't write, they can't type, they have no headsets, no Instant Messenger, no email/sitemail, they don't have cars or wheels of any sort to go visiting with each other. Just how do they do it? I guess that is in the other part of the wiki. Thanks for this image and raising all sorts of new questions most of us have never considered before. LOL On the serious side...excellent photo and narrative my friend:)
I have always been fascinated by this strange plant, you are so lucky to actually see one in the Namib! Thank you for sharing this wonderful image.
bonne et interessante photo!!
OUTSTANDING SHOT!!!!
fantastic plant Carin .. I love the view as well !
Wonderful creatures! Especially since they have been around for soooo many years!
Utterly magnificent POV, DOF, clarity, color and texture in this Namibia capture of the unusual and difficult to pronounce species, Carin! And interesting about its longevity.
its just amazing how nature fills nearly every niche with something alive. /this looks like a very tough niche of the kind that is usually filled by fast growing short lived species that seed a lot so a plant that lives there for a 1000 or more years really needs respect and care
Amazing plant and information! Great shot!
That is fascinating, and of course I have never seen anything like it. Being rare and endangered makes it extra special, and viewing it unusual. Excellent info, with a fantastic image of the male and female shown.
It is amazing how they survive so long. Excellent capture!
Interesting plant, Carin... thanks for sharing!
OH ! That is indeed amazing that they can live that long. A fantastic thought. THank you for sharing this wonder. Carin. My very best wishes for you and yuours.
amazing view ..........*****
wonderful shot and a very unique plant
A superb capture!
I only wonder what the smell is like on them? Great find and capture! Thanks for sharing, Clive