The real Rose of Jericho

[Rey]

Well, I forgot about this and was hiding on my closet for over a year. So I took a time lapse video of it opening and closing.. I also notice lots of seeds and I am able to sprout them..

 

[Marck]

Rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica) is a small annual herb in the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) native to southwestern Asia, Arabia, north Africa, and the Canary Islands. After the plant flowers and dies, the plant body persists as as a dried ball that can repeatedly perform hygroscopic expansion in wet times and contraction in dry times. This expansion and contraction encourages seed dispersal during favourable weather conditions and protects the seeds during unfavourable ones.

Another unrelated plant, Selaginella lepidophylla is also known as the (False) Rose of Jericho or Resurrection Plant. Unlike Anastatica, this plant can truly revive after desiccation, once again turning green and regaining its metabolic functions. The Spike-mosses (Selaginella spp.) are non-seed plants, similar to, but distinct from ferns.