Welwetschia is a monotypic egymnosperm relict plant genus endemic to the Namib Desert; its sole extant species representative is Welwetschia mirabilis, which, in turn, has two subspecies taxa.

The genus aerial architecture consists of a pair of very wide curled and contorted leaves atop an extremely abbreviated thick stem; these persistent structures are as thick as 1.4 millimetres in the adult specimens. Each of the leaves emerges from the base via an intercalary meristem; moreover, each leaf typically has tattered tips that exhibit extensive basipetal splitting. When a leaf is injured, that area produces a wound periderm.