Question 1

True or false: Welwitschia mirabilis is commonly used as a houseplant in the United States.

Accepted Answer

False. It is extremely difficult to cultivate outside its native desert conditions and is rarely grown as a houseplant.

Question 2

True or false: The plant is named after the explorer who discovered it, Friedrich Welwitsch, in the 19th century.

Accepted Answer

True. Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch found it in 1859 in Angola, and the species was named in his honor.

Question 3

True or false: It has only two leaves that grow continuously from the base, splitting and fraying over its lifetime.

Accepted Answer

True. The plant produces just two permanent leaves that grow from a basal meristem, becoming tattered and ribbon-like with age.

Question 4

True or false: Welwitschia absorbs moisture from coastal fog through its leaves to survive in the desert.

Accepted Answer

True. The leaves have specialized stomata that capture fog water, a critical adaptation in the hyper-arid Namib Desert.

Question 5

True or false: Welwitschia is a type of cactus native to the Namib Desert.

Accepted Answer

False. It is not a cactus but a gymnosperm in its own order, Welwitschiales, related to pines and cycads.

Question 6

True or false: Welwitschia mirabilis can live for over 1,000 years, with some individuals exceeding 2,000 years.

Accepted Answer

True. Radiocarbon dating shows some specimens are over 2,000 years old, making them among the longest-lived plants on Earth.

Question 7

True or false: Its seeds are dispersed primarily by elephants that eat the cones.

Accepted Answer

False. Seeds are wind-dispersed; elephants may damage plants but are not primary dispersers. Insects like beetles pollinate the cones.

Question 8

True or false: The plant can grow up to 10 feet tall, with leaves spreading over 20 feet across.

Accepted Answer

False. It stays low, rarely exceeding 2 feet in height, though its tattered leaves can sprawl up to 8-10 feet across.

Welwitschia mirabilis Trivia Questions