Among these odd species are the welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis, see box), a strange gymnosperm with indefinitely growing leaves that is a genuine living fossil, and the shrub Myrothamnus flabellifolius, the only mainland African species of its genus and of he family Myrothamnaceae--it contains only one other species, from the arid regions of Madagascar--which
estivates (becomes dormant in the summer) by drying its leaves out, folding them like a fan, and turning black and brittle.
guttata has evolved flexible behavioral and physiological repertoires that allow them to
estivate within, or disperse among, different habitats.
Its home is an area of highland streams that go dry in the summer, when the newt
estivates.
restuans during periods of unseasonably cold weather in the summer, when it normally
estivates, could cause a sudden, synchronous release of virus at a time when it could then be amplified by an increasing Cx.
During dry months (typically June through mid-October in central Texas), Otala lactea frequently
estivates above ground on exposed surfaces, such as tree trunks, fenceposts, and weeds.
