A resurrection plant is any

poikilohydric Poikilohydry is the lack of ability (structural or functional mechanism) to maintain and/or regulate water content to achieve homeostasis of cells and tissue connected with quick equilibration of cell/tissue water content to that of the environment ...

plant that can survive extreme dehydration, even over months or years. Rose of Jericho

Examples include: * ''Asteriscus'' (plant); * '' Dorcoceras hygrometrica'', * ''

Craterostigma ''Craterostigma'' is a genus of shrub-like flowering plants in the family Linderniaceae, found in Africa, Madagascar, (island of) Socotra, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent, Sri Lanka, China, Southeast Asia and Java. The best studied ...

'', members of the Linderniaceae/Scrophulariaceae with snapdragon-like flowers * ''

Haberlea rhodopensis ''Haberlea'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The only member of this genus, ''Haberlea rhodopensis'', is endemic to parts of Bulgaria and a small part of northern Greece, especially in the Rhodope Mountains. C ...

'' * ''

Mesembryanthemum ''Mesembryanthemum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to southern Africa. As with many members of that family, it is characterized by long-lasting flower heads. Flowers of ''Mesembryanthemum'' protect their game ...

'', the plant can revive within a short period of time after a drought * ''

Myrothamnus flabellifolius ''Myrothamnus flabellifolius'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrothamnaceae native to central and southern Africa. It is also called the resurrection plant for the appearance of dead leaves reviving during rain (see poikilohydry). ...

'', a plant species native to Southern Africa * ''

Pleopeltis polypodioides ''Pleopeltis polypodioides'', common name resurrection fern, is a species of creeping, coarse-textured fern native to the Americas and Africa. Description The evergreen fronds of ''Pleopeltis polypodioides'' are 25 cm high by 5 cm wid ...

'', also known as resurrection fern * ''

Ramonda serbica ''Ramonda serbica'', also known as Serbian ramonda and Serbian phoenix flower, is a species in the family Gesneriaceae and are one of the four plants in the Ramonda genus. It was first discovered in 1874 near Niš, Serbia, by the Serbian botanis ...

'', a species in the family Gesneriaceae * ''

Selaginella lepidophylla ''Selaginella lepidophylla'' (syn. ''Lycopodium lepidophyllum''), also known as a resurrection plant, is a species of desert plant in the spikemoss family (Selaginellaceae). It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert of the United States and Mexico. ...

'', a plant species native to North America, Central and South America, and sold as a novelty * ''

Tillandsia ''Tillandsia'' is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of the Neotropical realm, Neotropics, from northe ...

'' * ''

Xerophyta ''Xerophyta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Velloziaceae. It was named in 1789 by de Jussieu. It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula. Some species in this genus are poikilochlorophyllous plants. This means ...

'', a monocotyledonous genus of 57 species typically occurring on rock outcrops in Southern African grasslands Certain resurrection plants have long been sold in their dry, "lifeless" form as curiosities. This custom was noted by many 19th-century authors, and continues today. In December, 2015, resurrection plants were featured in a

TED talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

given by Professor

Jill Farrant Jill Farrant, professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, is a leading expert on resurrection plants, which 'come back to life' from a desiccated, seemingly dead state when they are rehydrated. Research ...

, Molecular and Cell Biology,

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, who performs targeted

genetic modification Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including th ...

of crop plants to make them tolerate

desiccation Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic (attracts and holds water) substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container. The ...

by activating genes that are already there but not natively expressed in response to

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

References

Plant physiology {{plant-physiology-stub

See also

References