The Gnetales are a peculiar group of seed plants represented today by just three genera: Ephedra, Gnetum, and Welwitschia. These three are so morphologically distinct that they’re thought to be the last survivors of a once much more diverse lineage. Fossil evidence supports this idea, with members of all three lineages known from the Early Cretaceous and possibly as far back as the Jurassic. Welwitschia is the most unique even among gnetophytes, found only in small pockets of the Namib Desert. It grows just two strap-like leaves in its entire lifespan, which become increasingly tattered with age. Some individuals may live over a thousand years. Fossil pollen, leaves, seeds, and seedlings resembling modern Welwitschia are known from the Early Cretaceous of Europe, North and South America. Fossil seedlings from the Crato Formation are nearly indistinguishable from those of modern Welwitschia, showing that the split between Gnetum and Welwitschia occurred over 110 million years ago. Welwitschiophyllum is a fossil gnetophyte known from broad, strap-shaped leaves that strongly resemble those of modern Welwitschia. Some larger specimens even show the characteristic tattering and preserve traces of resin or gum, structures also produced by the living plant. These features suggest adaptations to water-stressed environments. Welwitschiophyllum may have been a key member of a vast arid belt that stretched across central Gondwana during the Cretaceous.