Welwitschia: Phylogeography of a living fossil, diversified within a desert refuge

Abstract Welwitschia mirabilis is one of the most extraordinary plant species on earth. With a fossil record of 112 My and phylogenetically isolated within the order Gnetales, the monotypic genus Welwitschia has survived only in the northern Namib Desert in Angola and Namibia. Despite its iconic rol...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Norbert Jürgens, Imke Oncken, Jens Oldeland, Felicitas Gunter, Barbara Rudolph
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2021-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81150-6