Ulimi wa Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis) ndichomera chomwe chimamera ndi kukula m’kadera kakang’ono ka m‘mbali mwa nyanja ya mchere ya Atlantic mdziko la Namibia ndi kummwera kwa Angola. Welwitschia ndi mtengo weni-weni, ngakhale kuti sumaoneka choncho ukauona koyamba. Chomerachi chimakhala ndi chithime chimodzi chachifupi pomwe pamamela masamba awiri – omwe amaoneka ngati ma riboni awiri opiringizika. Welwitschia nthawi zina amaoneka ngati mulu wa zinyalala!

Chomera chimenechi chimakonda kukhala munyengo yoti chikuphuka (ngakhalenso munthawi yobereka) – chinthu chomwe sichimachitika kawirikawiri ndi zomera. Welwitschia ndi mbewu ya diecious ndipo choncho zomera ziwiri (mbewu yayimuna ndi yayikazi) zikuyeneka kuti zipange mbewu/njere. Maluwa ake amakhala m’ma cone (ngati omwe amakhala pamtengo wa pine kapena cycards) omwe amakhala m’mphako mwa masamba.

Ma cone achikazi amanyotsoka akakhwima kuti atulutsa bwino mbewu, zomwe zimafalitsidwa mosavuta ndi mphepo.

Izi zimaikidwa m’gulu la zomera zachikale – Gnetophyta, zomwe zimakhala ngati ma conifer (Pinophyta). Gnetophyta ali ndi magulu atatu osiyana kwambiri m’maonekedwe: Gnetum – lianas okhala ndi masamba akulu, Ephedra – osatalika ndipo okhala ndi matsinde angapo, komanso Welwitschia weniweniyo.

Dzina loti Welwitschia linaperekedwa ndi katswiri owona zomera wa ku Slovenia, Friedrich Welwitsch yemwe anatulukira chomerachi mchaka cha 1860. Welwitschia amapezeka mdziko la Namibia.

Welwitschia amakhalanso mosangalala mchipululu. Samadalira mvula yokha komanso amatha kupeza madzi okwanira kuchokera ku mitambo yakuda yochokera ku nyanja ya mchere. Aliyense amayenela adziwe zimenezi akamadzala Welwitschia. Chifukwa chachikulu chomwe kulima Welwitschia kumakanika ndi pomwe chomerachi chithiliridwa madzi ochuluka kwambiri zomwe zimapangitsa kuti mizu yake iwole. Choncho nkoyenera kuti mbewu zizifesedwa mmalo amchenga (mbewu zake zikhale pafupipafupi 2–5 mm mu diameter) chifukwa vuto la kusunga madzi ndi limene limavuta mbewu zikamakula. Ndipofunika kuthilira madzi Welwitschia mosamala kulekana ndikungothilira mwa chisawawa. Mbewu yake imamera pakangotha sabata imodzi. Zomerazi zingathenso kudzalidwa pa sill ya window moyang’ana ku mmwera. Mukamadzala Welwitschia muyenera kudekha chifukwa amakula pang’onopang’ono kwambiri. Mukapereka kuwala kokwanira osati madzi ochuluka, chomera chimenechi chikhonza kukhala moyo wautali kuposa wanu.