One of these plants is Velvichia amazing, an extremely pronounced representative of xerophytes. Velvichia deserves an amazing name, as well as the title of queen of the desert, if only because it is unlike any other known plant in the world. She is one of a kind. The Velvichiaceae order includes only one family, one genus, one species - this, in fact, is Velvichia amazing.
Its life form cannot be called a grass, a bush, or a tree, although in the botanical classification it is designated as a relict tree. You can see how Velvichia grows only by going to the south of Angola or to Namibia, the rocky Namib Desert, which stretches in a narrow strip along the coast of West Africa. But if you are lucky, you can meet her in some greenhouse, because... Recently they began to cultivate it.
Scientific world I learned about Velvichia not so long ago, only in the 19th century. And it was found by the Austrian professor of botany Friedrich Welwitsch. In the process of studying the Angolan flora, he came across unusual plant. Having seen various representatives of the flora in his life, it seemed to the professor that such a thing was impossible to come up with.
He saw something similar to a stump or a lignified oval-shaped stump with a diameter of more than a meter, from which two huge brown-green leaves emanated in both directions. Velvich carefully unfolded and measured one sheet - it turned out to be more than 2 m. Frequently strong winds the leaves were torn into many thin ribbons, which were tangled and intertwined, reminiscent of the tentacles of an octopus. Subsequently, botanists called this discovery the discovery of the century.
From a distance it seems that Velvichia has many long leaves, but in fact there are only two of them, and they grow throughout its plant life, adding 8-15 cm per year. IN scientific works a giant was described with leaves more than 6 m long and about 2 m wide. And its life expectancy is so long that it’s hard to believe. Although Velvichia is considered a tree, it does not have annual rings, like those on tree trunks. Scientists determined the age of individual, largest Velvichia using the radiocarbon method - it turned out that some specimens are about 2000 years old!
Most of the wide trunk of Velvichia is underground; it protrudes only 30-50 cm above the surface. Moreover, the trunk narrows towards the bottom and turns into a thick taproot, sometimes reaching three meters in length. It turns out that this dwarf tree grows downward! After all, in ordinary trees, the thinnest part of the trunk is the top.
How does this plant survive in the driest desert conditions? Some places in the Namib receive no more than 25 mm of rain per year. At first, scientists had a version that the root of the plant reaches groundwater, but it turned out to be false. This is where another amazing feature of Velvichia leaves was discovered - the ability to absorb moisture.
Over the entire area of the leaves, with the exception of the dried tips, there is an incredible number of stomata (22,000 per 1 cm²), which “open” when thick fog arrives on the coast. Moisture, condensing on the leaves, is absorbed by these same stomata. Condensation provides Velvichia with the required amount of moisture equivalent to 50 mm of precipitation. Fogs are common in this area of Africa - they cover the coast almost 300 days a year. Winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean drive the fog 80-100 km inland. Therefore, in those places where the fog does not reach, Velvichia does not occur, because there she will simply die.
Velvichia is amazing - a proud young lady. Instead of social plant life, she prefers a solitary existence, i.e. it does not grow as a group. Velvichia's flowers look like small cones, and each female cone (the plant is dioecious) contains only one seed, and each seed is equipped with wide wings. As for pollination, botanists have differing opinions. Some believe that pollination is carried out by insects, while others are more inclined to the action of wind
Welwitschia is protected by the Namibian Nature Conservation Act. Collecting its seeds is prohibited without special permission. The entire territory where Velvichia grows was turned into National Park Namib-Naukluft. Of course, such a miracle of nature needs protection. To the tough natural conditions she has adapted, but to human rapacity...
Bulldozer - Apr 22nd, 2015
Once, while traveling in southwestern Africa, the Austrian traveler and naturalist Friedrich Welwitsch came across quite strange plant, which from a distance he mistook for a pile of garbage. Coming closer, the scientist discovered a kind of stump of an unfamiliar plant with a diameter of about a meter, from which long leaves extended. At first it seemed to the traveler that there were a lot of leaves, but after taking a closer look, he discovered only two leaves, torn by the wind into long strips. English botanist Joseph Hooker later called it amazing plant Welwitschia in honor of its discoverer.
It should be noted that the amazing Welwitschia is the only representative of a single species that lives only in the African Namib Desert on the Atlantic coast. The Welwitschia root can reach up to 3 meters, but it does not so much absorb water as other plants, but rather acts as an anchor, holding the plant in the desert sands. Two leaves extend from a short woody stem, reaching a length of 6 m, and growing throughout the life of the plant, adding 8-15 cm every year. The leaves of Welwitschia, which resemble boards to the touch, are covered with numerous stomata, with the help of which the plant absorbs during fog. moisture. It is interesting that fresh wood of the Velvichia stem drowns in water, and dry wood burns without smoke.
The Bushmen call Velvichia “otzhi tumbo” - big master. In the harsh conditions of the African desert, not every plant can survive, but Welwitschia not only survives, but is also considered a long-liver. Its age can reach up to 2000 years. Velvichia is a relict dwarf tree that has survived many eras. It already existed when dinosaurs roamed our planet.
This life expectancy and the plant’s adaptability to arid desert conditions place Welwitschia among the extraordinary plants that require protection. In Namibia, the plant is strictly protected, prohibiting the collection of Welwitschia seeds without special permission. Velvichia is considered national symbol Namibia and its image appears on the coat of arms of this country.
Botanical name: Welwitschia.
Family. Velvichiaceae.
Where does Velvichia grow?. Velvichia grows naturally in Angola and Namibia, in Africa, in the desert.
Description of what it looks like. Velvichia is a dioecious perennial amazing gymnosperm plant with a short stem, tap root and two leaves. The leaves are leathery, wide, belt-shaped, 2 meters long, lie on the ground, grow continuously throughout the life of the plant and wear out with age and take on an unkempt appearance. The stem is low, conical, thick, woody, unbranched. They are divided into male and female plants. Reproductive branched organs appear at the base of the leaves; female plants have blue-green cones, larger than male ones. Male cones are salmon-colored, small, oblong-cone-shaped. It grows very slowly.
Height. The Welwitschia plant grows up to 50 cm.
Velvichia - care at home
Temperature conditions. A regular one will do. room temperature within a year. In extreme heat, plant leaves curl and thereby reduce the evaporation of moisture from the surface.
Lighting. A brightly lit place. Plants are very sensitive to sudden changes in light intensity. Never move a plant from shade to direct sun - the leaves will burn and the plant may never recover and die. Care. Welwitschias are quite easy to grow as potted plants. Substrate. Loose, well-drained, with a high content of coarse sand. Top dressing. Velvichia is responsive to feeding - it grows faster. During the growing season, feed once every 2-3 months. Purpose. Flowering time. From mid-summer to autumn. Humidity. Sprayed in the warm season. Soil moisture. This plant should be watered regularly during the summer months, reducing watering to once a month during the winter. Transfer. The plant has a very sensitive root system and does not like disturbance, so replant Welwitschia only when necessary. Reproduction. Seeds are sown in the warm season, in spring or summer, in a large and deep (at least 30 cm, preferably larger) pot. Remember to place a layer of gravel at the bottom to ensure good drainage. The soil should be sandy and well drained, for example 2 parts sand: 1 part loam: 1 part compost (leaf humus) with a sufficient amount of bone meal. Moisten the soil thoroughly before sowing seeds. Keep the seedlings in a warm and sunny place and maintain even humidity.
Welwitschia is a monotypic genus of rosette plants from South Africa with a short and wide stem-like stem, two long curling leaves and modified shoots - strobili, resembling cones. The only species that has survived to this day, Velvichia amazinga, is used as a greenhouse and indoor plant because of its unusual appearance.
Ask the experts a question
In medicine
Velvichia is not used in either official or folk medicine.
Contraindications and side effects
Velvichia is a little-studied plant. Its use internally or externally is strictly contraindicated.
In cooking
In ancient times, Velvichia kernels were used as food. The tribes of the Namib Desert ate them raw or baked in ash and called them “onyanga”, which means “desert onion”.
Currently, Velvichia is not used for food.
In gardening
Velvichia grows slowly and requires care, so grow it in greenhouses and room conditions not very simple. The plant is extremely sensitive to frost. Prefers well-drained soil; the soil layer should be deep, because The root of the plant is quite long, about a meter.
Velvichia requires a dry climate, direct sunlight, and a temperature of at least 21 degrees. Watering is needed regularly, with the exception of the plant's dormant period, during which time it is not watered. The first shoots with sporangia, strobili, appear in the 3-12th year of Velvichia’s life.
The plant propagates by seeds, which are stored for several years. It is not always possible to get seeds to germinate; the plant is susceptible to fungal diseases, and seedlings can rot due to lack of heat or excess moisture. Before planting, the seeds are treated with a fungicide, then they are sown on top of a soilless sterile mixture, sprinkled with a little sand. The mixture needs to be slightly moistened and ensure its homogeneity. Then the seeds are placed in a very warm (27-38 degrees) and bright place. Seeds should germinate within 1-6 months. To prevent putrefactive processes from starting, the seedlings are treated with a fungicide several times. It is believed that the plant is most susceptible to fungus in the first 8 months of its life.
In 1989, the Welwitschia House was built in Kirstenbosch, a botanical garden near Cape Town. Scientist Ernst van Yarsveld tried to artificially recreate natural environment plant habitat. The first planted Velvichia bloomed within two years and six months - this was a record; previously the process took years. In 2013, the “Velvichia House” officially opened to visitors.
Classification
The genus Welwitschia (lat. Welwitschia) of the family Welwitschia (lat. Welwitschiaceae) includes a single species - amazing Welwitschia (lat. Welwitschia mirabilis).
Botanical description
Velvichia is a two-leaved rosette plant with a stem-like wide stem, the main volume of which is the hypocotyl.
The seed of a plant is an embryo surrounded by gametophyte tissue, which contains nutrients, necessary for the embryo at an early stage of development. The embryo itself in a dormant seed consists of a long root, a short thickened hypocotyl and an apical bud, which is closed by two folded cotyledons. The top of the seed is covered with two thin wing-shaped projections. Part of the shell is fibrous and has extremely high hygroscopicity, which allows the seed to swell even when there is not enough moisture.
During germination, the seed shell remains in the soil. When the cotyledons reach 25-35 mm, the first pair of true leaves erupt. The cotyledons live for about 18 months, growing up to 4 cm, and then dry out and fall off only after 2-3 years. The first pair of true leaves, on the contrary, grows throughout the life of Velvichia. As for the second pair of true leaves, it is rather poorly developed and represents only primordia, the rudiments of leaves. Then, when the plant develops, they grow together with the tip of the shoot and thus protect it.
The stem of Velvichia is hollow, short, protrudes above the soil by only 15-50 cm. It is covered with a layer of cork.
The leaves of the plant usually reach 2-4 m in length and 1 m in width. Their growth rate is approximately 20-40 cm per year. They are brown-green in color, very hard, and have parallel veining. The ends of the leaves constantly dry out, split into strips, curl and lie on the ground.
On one Velvichia leaf there are a lot of stomata on both sides, about 22 thousand per square centimeter. This is due to the fact that the plant receives moisture mainly due to the thick fogs that the wind brings from the Atlantic Ocean for almost 10 months. This mist is absorbed by the stomata.
Velvichia is a dioecious plant. Its strobili (cones) are located on stems that emerge from the center of the disk and create branched collections. Their color is green at an early stage, and later becomes red or dark crimson. Female cones (megastrobiles) have many seeds under their scales. Male cones (microstrobiles) are much smaller in size than female ones.
Velvichia is pollinated by the wind, and seed distribution occurs in the same way.
The lifespan of Velvichia is extremely long. Using the radiocarbon method, it was established that the age of some individuals is approximately 2 thousand years.
Spreading
IN wildlife Velvichia grows in Angola, in the southwest of the state and in Namibia - in the Namib Desert. It is mainly distributed on coastal strip near the coast, a maximum of a hundred kilometers from the coast - this is due to the fact that the fogs, thanks to which Velvichiya receives moisture, no longer reach the depths of the mainland. In rare cases, the plant is found in the depths of the desert, in the upper reaches of dry riverbeds and drainages, where the amount of precipitation is somewhat higher.
Procurement of raw materials
The Welwitschia plant is not harvested.
Chemical composition
The extract of Velvichia root and stem contained glycosides, stilbenoid, resveratrol, and gnetin G.
