The mesmerising desert plant that can ‘come back from the dead’! Incredible footage reveals dried up ball spring back to life when it soaks up water
- The plant’s botanical name is Selaginella lepidophylla but it is commonly referred to as a ‘resurrection plant’
- Fascinating footage shows the parched brown plant unfurls and appear to bloom after being placed in water
- The vascular plant’s anatomy, morphology and physiology is dedicated to obtaining and retaining moisture
A desiccated ball of desert plant called the Rose of Jericho is able to revive itself ‘back to life’ after coming into contact with water, in a process that takes several hours to complete.
Fascinating time lapse footage shows the dead-looking plant begin to unfurl its fern-like appendages until rejuvenated to a dark-green colour when placed in a small tub filled with water.
The parched plant has become known as the ‘resurrection plant’ because of its ability to use this curl-up-and-dry mechanism as a way to survive barren conditions.
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A desiccated ball of desert plant called the Rose of Jericho revives itself back to life after being placed in a dish of water, in a process that takes several hours to complete
The dried out plant is not ‘coming back to life’, but rather coming out of the dormant state induced by the severe dehydration.
Part of the spike-moss family, the plant’s botanical name is Selaginella lepidophylla and comes from the Chihuahuan desert of the US and Mexico.
There, the plant waits for moisture and revives its brown, lifeless-looking leaves and opens up like a blooming flower and repeats the process as needed.
Much of a typical vascular plant’s anatomy, morphology and physiology is dedicated to obtaining and retaining water to survive extreme dehydration.
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Although most plants are killed by weeks or even months of drought, most vascular plants can tolerate brief periods of water stress.
The resurrection plant, however, has the remarkable ability to survive near total desiccation, or less than 5 per cent relative water content, which causes them to appear as if they’re dead.
During the dry season the branches curl inwards, forming a rather lifeless ball that springs back when they come into contact with water.
Fascinating time lapse footage shows the dead-looking plant begin to unfurl its fern-like appendages until rejuvenated to a dark-green colour
The brown lifeless-looking leaves open up like a blooming flower. The parched plant has become known as the ‘resurrection plant’ because of its ability to use this curl-up-and-dry mechanism as a way to survive barren, conditions
Part of the spike-moss family, the plant’s botanical name is Selaginella lepidophylla and comes from the Chihuahuan desert
When dehydrated, the plant can be uprooted and become tumbleweed that blows along the ground with the wind.
It’s thought that the resurrection plant can survive such extreme dehydration is because it has sugar called trehalose, which some plants, bacteria and fungi use as a source of energy.
The trehalose molecule protects organisms the plant from extreme conditions by stabilising proteins and preserving its cellular membranes.
In the desert, the plant waits for moisture and revives its brown, lifeless-looking leaves and opens up like a blooming flower and repeats the process as needed.
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