A new habitat for Welwitschia in the Succulent Greenhouse
Great news inside the Succulent Greenhouse of the Palermo Botanical Garden. In recent weeks, the gardeners have completed an intervention of extraordinary botanical and conservation importance: the planting in open ground of five specimens of Welwitschia mirabilis, grown in pots for about twenty years.
The Welwitschia flowerbed in the Succulent Greenhouse will be named after judge Giovanni Falcone on May 22nd, on the occasion of the thirtieth edition of the Spring Blossom, the historic gardening and horticultural exhibition-market.
Welwitschia mirabilis is a true wonder of nature: a living fossil capable of surviving for more than a thousand years in the Namibian desert, with just two leaves that continue to grow endlessly. โJust like this unique plant that resists over time even in the most extreme situations, the values โโof legality must continue to live and take root in consciencesโ, highlights the rector of the University of Palermo Massimo Midiri.
Because it was necessary to intervene
The root system of the Welwitschia, known for its ability to go deep in search of humidity, had now saturated the available space in the pots, showing the first signs of suffering. To preserve the health and guarantee the longevity of this precious collection, it was decided to create a dedicated area that faithfully simulates the environmental conditions of the deserts of Namibia and Angola, the territories of origin of this species.
A flowerbed tailor-made for a desert habitat
Planting success depends largely on drainage management and soil depth. The flowerbed was raised approximately 60 cm above ground level, to which a further 60 cm of excavation in depth was added, for a total space of over one meter which allows the roots to expand freely. The substrate is a mixture almost totally free of organic substance, composed of coarse silica sand, river gravel, lapillus and pumice, ingredients that guarantee extreme porosity and constant aeration. A layer of coarse lapillus has been placed on the bottom to avoid water stagnation, the main cause of root rot.
A living fossil that defies time
Welwitschia mirabilis is a plant that defies the laws of time. Belonging to the Gnetophyte group, organisms with intermediate characteristics between conifers and angiosperms, it is considered a true living fossil capable of exceeding 1000 years of age. Its most famous peculiarity concerns its leaves: it produces only two in its entire life, which grow continuously from the base without ever falling, progressively fraying at the ends due to atmospheric agents. The brown or frayed tips are not a sign of discomfort, but the normal testimony of their progression over time, while the base continues to regenerate, telling a centuries-long story.
With this new setup, the Palermo Botanical Garden confirms its commitment to the conservation of rare species and scientific dissemination. The Welwitschia await you in the Succulent Greenhouse, finally free to grow in their new corner of the Palermo desert and continue to tell their extraordinary evolutionary story.
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