The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Selaginella lepidophylla
Also called Resurrection Plant, Rose Of Jericho, Dinosaur Plant, False Rose Of Jericho, Resurrection Moss
Selaginella lepidophylla is a small desert spikemoss, a non-flowering, spore-producing relative of ferns, famed as the resurrection plant because it curls into a dry ball and reopens when rehydrated. Grow it in well-drained, sandy soil with bright light and keep it dry between occasional waterings.
Selaginella lepidophylla (syn. Lycopodium lepidophyllum), also known as a resurrection plant and sometimes as the rose of Jericho (although distinct from the true rose of Jericho) is a species of desert plant in the spikemoss family (Selaginellaceae). It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert of the United States and Mexico. S. lepidophylla is renowned for its ability to survive almost complete desiccation. Resurrection plants are vascular rooted plants capable of surviving extreme desiccation, then resuming normal metabolic activity upon rehydration. The plant's hydro-responsive movements are governed by stem moisture content, tissue properties and a graded distribution of lignified cells affecting concentric stem stiffness and spiraling. During dry weather in its native habitat, its stems curl into a tight ball, uncurling only when exposed to moisture.
Selaginella lepidophylla can be grown from spores or cuttings. The plant requires warm temperatures, high humidity, and well-drained soil.
Selaginella lepidophylla is sold as a novelty item, as bare root stock in its dry state, in which it may be revived with only a little water.
Meadow spikemoss · Selaginella bryopteris · Lesser spikemoss · Krauss's Clubmoss · Gemmiferous Spikemoss · Lesser Clubmoss · Blue spikemoss · Willdenow's spikemoss · Spikemoss
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Selaginella lepidophylla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
