Not the Chelsea Flower Show

sean thomas travels to Namibia in search of the ugliest plant in the world

I am striding across the dunes of Namibia's Skeleton Coast, on the hunt for the word's ugliest plant. And I'm hoping I'm not too late, because Welwitschia (right) are fast disappearing from the great Namib desert.

If you've never heard of Welwitschia, you're probably not alone. Despite the plant's unrivalled status as the most hideous specimen in the plant kingdom, it gets relatively little attention from conservationists. The reason for this is obvious. When it comes to extinction, it tends to be the more glamorous or endearing of the world's threatened species that enjoy all the fuss. The giant panda, the Siberian tiger, the glittering Irawaddy dolphins: these are the