Welwitschia mirabilis, of the order Gnetales, cIass Gymnospermae, is a rare and strikingly bizarre plant. It is geographically restricted along the south-west coast of Africa to a narrow margin of the Namib, one of the world's most extreme deserts. The only species in the genus, Welwitschia survives in very severe locaIities where the annual rainfall is often less than 25 mm and where, in terms of precipitation, the coastal fog is equivalent to about a further 50 mm. Keywords: Acetamide-like odour, Aspergillus niger, Bilateral symmetry of leave, Cotyledons, Dioecious plant, Epidermal cells, Germination, Growth habit, Massive sclereid, Megastrobilus, Membranous plates, Metabolic activity, Probergrothius sexpunetatis insect and Seedlings raised.