The Plant That Cannot Die!
The Resurrection Plant is one 700 species in the Selaginella genus of plants. These plants lack flowers, fruits and seeds. Even their “leaves” are not really leaves, they are just leaf-like extensions of the stem.
In less than 24 hours, this apparently lifeless and dead in appearance ‘ball’ of shriveled up fern leaves, will burst into vivid green growth! Truly a miracle of nature and one could call it a living fossil!
This plant has survived since it first evolved in the Cambrian Period of the Earth’s creation, 570 million years ago and like all life forms, it has also developed from algae.
When the soil is moist after infrequent rains, the Resurrection Plant absorbs water and grows rapidly, producing a flat rosette of scaly stems up to one foot across.
As the soil dries, it folds up its stems into a tight ball as it desiccates and goes into a state of dormancy.
The folded plant has a limited surface area, and whatever little internal moisture is present, is conserved.
All metabolic functions are reduced to a minimum level and the plant appers to be dead. The plant can remain in this dormant conditions for years.
When the rains return, the plant’s cells rehydrate. The stems unfold, metabolism increases, and growth resumes.
Even dead Resurrection plants unfold if given water, since rehydrated cells expand even if there is no living protoplasm in them.
What a wonderful plant! Isn’t it?
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That's awesome! I never knew that!