Welwitschia has an elongated shallow root system consisting of a tapering taproot with one or more non-tapering extensions, some pronounced lateral roots, and a network of delicate spongy roots and a woody fibrous unbranched main stem. The roots extend to a depth roughly equal to the span of the living leaves from tip to tip. The main stem consists of an unbranched woody crown roughly shaped like an inverted cone. The only branching in the shoot system occurs in the reproductive branches, which bear strobili.