Welwitschia plant leaf. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a section through a leaf of the desert plant Welwitschia mirabilis. Large vascular bundles (orange/grey) are seen running through the leaf. These carry water and nutrients to and from the leaf. This plant lives in the arid desert of south-western Africa. It extracts all the moisture it needs from fogs which cover the desert at times. It only has two leaves, which grow from a thick root embedded in the ground. The leaves grow throughout the life of the plant, which may be as long as 2000 years. Magnification: x30 at 6x7cm size. x50 at 4x5"~PORTRAIT"