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Jul 31, 2021

A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’ Reveals Its Genetic Secrets

Posted by in category: genetics

The longest-lived leaves in the plant kingdom can be found only in the harsh, hyperarid desert that crosses the boundary between southern Angola and northern Namibia. A desert is not, of course, the most hospitable place for living things to grow, let alone leafy greens, but the Namib Desert — the world’s oldest, with parts receiving less than 2 inches of precipitation a year — is where Welwitschia calls home. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times In Afrikaans, the plant is.

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