Plants Which live Again.

Otago Witness, Issue 2528, 27 August 1902, Page 64

Plants Which live Again.

There aie plants which, when diied and apparently dead, take on the form of life again when they are soaked in water. There are two kinds of revival, one real the other apparent. Return to life, either in a complete form or in part, is quite /lequent in the vegetable world, where the influence of humidity and dryness i- nioie maiked than among animal*One naturalist ha«- tak^n a bunch of fine ruPins. and planted the stem in moist earth. This stem. 4m long, m thrtv months had a shoot of tlnet additional inche 1 -.

The pi jut b^.-L known ha it- lent wing

piopeity !•*• the R»j^' "f ,1-I,'hn Th"> i<. ml ' really a rose ai aJL but belongs to tke

mustard family. It growa in the sandy deserts of Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. When the plant becomes dry, its stems curl up, draw together, and form a rounded knot. The wind easily uproot* the thing and carries it away, but if it is deposited in a damp spot it apparently comes to life. It was once thought that it absorbed water from the soil, took root, and began to grow again In reality, however, this never happens. The Rose of Jericho is lifeless from the moment when it is uprooted. It is simply a dead plant which has changed form from the absorption of water.

The dried plant furnishes a very interesting change when it is plunged into water. In an hour it doubles in size, the stems begin to rise, and the capsules take on a pinkish tinge. It seems to be reviving, but this is a vain show. It is among those plants in which the renewal of life is apparent, not repl. The movements of such plants are really like those of the scales on a pine cone, which open or draw together as the air is r.iore or less dry. Real resurrection, however, is seen among certain ferns and mosses.