“ Rose of Jericho ” is a common name which can refer to two species of plants which have little in common other than their French name and a particularity of dehydrated plants regenerated in contact with water
This plant is found dried in Mexico, pre-Saharan North Africa, the Sahara and the Middle East, notably in Mecca. It is mainly used by women to combat infertility problems.
This plant is not to be confused with Selaginella lepidophylla, also called "false rose of Jericho", which is a selaginella of the Selaginaceae family with diuretic properties that is mainly found in the Chihuahuan desert, on the American border. -Mexican.
The "real" rose of Jericho is an extraordinary plant both for its rarity and its ability to come back to life: It can, after having been dried out for a long time, come back to life in the presence of humidity.
Rose of Jericho a name for 2 different species
“ Rose of Jericho ” is a common name which can refer to two species of plants which have little in common other than their French name and a particularity of dehydrated plants returned to contact with water.
The "real" Jericho rose is an extraordinary plant both for its rarity and its ability to come back to life: It can, after having been dried out for a long time, come back to life in the presence of humidity.
The origins of the rose of Jericho
An ancestral oriental remedy, Anastatica hierochunticala, better known as “rose of Jericho” or “chajarat Maryam” is a small annual cruciferous plant, more rarely biennial, of the Plantae family. A desert plant adapting to its environment, it has the capacity to revive. In fact, it dries out as soon as its seeds mature, particularly during periods of high heat without rain, and revives on contact with water, whether on damp soil or in a glass of water.
Once rehydrated, after a few hours, it opens and returns to its initial appearance; its metabolic functions, while dormant, resume and its growth continues. Thus, its branches unfurl and release their living seeds. A new period of drought follows for several weeks or several months, or even several years, before beginning a new revival.
This dried plant is found in pre-Saharan North Africa, the Sahara and the Middle East, notably in Mecca. It is mainly used by women to combat infertility problems.
This plant is not to be confused with Selaginella lepidophylla, also called "false rose of Jericho", which is a selaginella of the Selaginaceae family with diuretic properties that is mainly found in the Chihuahuan desert, on the American border. -Mexican.