Welwitschia is located exclusively in the Namib Desert, but there it grows in large numbers. It is widely known as a botanical peculiarity and is often exhibited in botanical gardens. It has only 2 leaves, which can grow to a length of more than 2 m, most of the stem is subterranean. Welwitschia grows extremely slowly and can live for several hundred years, but new plants shoot only under special conditions. These plants are gymnosperm, cones are formed.

Welwitschia is not a real food plant, but in emergency situations (getting lost in the Namib desert) the core in the flower axis (last picture) can be eaten raw or roasted.

The pictures show female flowers. At the fine “hairs” usually small drops of a clear, sweetish liquid accumulate, which have however been lost here.

• Edible Flowers (axes)
• Culinary Group Wild vegetables Famine Food
• Taste neutral
• Trivial Names Welwitschie, Welwitschia, Wüstenzwiebel, Tree tumbo, N'tumbo, Nyanka, ǃKharos, Khurub, Onyanga, Tweeblaarkanniedood, Zwei-Blatt-kann-nicht-sterben
• Size 7 cm
• Taxonomy Welwitschiaceae Welwitschia mirabilis
• Origin Southern Africa (Namib Desert) (Map)
• Origin (Flowers) Palmengarten Frankfurt (FRP) 2016
• Origin (Axis) Archäobotanik Afrikas, Goethe-Universität 2017