Welwitschia

A desert plant with just two leaves that can live for over 1,000 years/Plants

Welwitschia mirabilis is one of the strangest plants on Earth. Found only in the Namib Desert of Namibia and Angola, it produces just two leaves in its entire lifetime, which grow continuously from the base and can reach lengths of over 4 meters, becoming tattered and split by wind over the centuries. Some specimens are estimated to be over 2,000 years old based on carbon dating. The plant consists of a short, stout trunk (actually a woody crown) rarely more than 50 cm tall, a deep taproot, and those two extraordinary leaves. It absorbs most of its water from coastal fog through its leaf surfaces rather than through its roots.