resurrection plant

noun

1. a desert plant, Selaginella lepidophylla, occurring from Texas to South America, having stems that curl inward when dry.

2. rose of Jericho.

resurrection plant

noun

1. any of several unrelated desert plants that form a tight ball when dry and unfold and bloom when moistened. The best-known examples are the crucifer Anastatica hierochuntica (also called rose of Jericho ), club mosses of the genus Selaginella , and the composite Asteriscus pygmoeus

Word History and Origins

Origin of resurrection plant¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70