Resurrection plant
A resurrection plant is any poikilohydric plant that can survive extreme dehydration, even over months or years.
Examples include:
- Asplenium ceterach
- Asteriscus (plant);Dorcoceras hygrometrica,Craterostigma, members of the Linderniaceae/Scrophulariaceae with snapdragon-like flowersHaberlea rhodopensisMesembryanthemum, the plant can revive within a short period of time after a drought Myrothamnus flabellifolius, a plant species native to Southern AfricaPleopeltis polypodioides, also known as resurrection fernRamonda serbica, a species in the family GesneriaceaeSelaginella lepidophylla, a plant species native to North America, Central and South America, and sold as a noveltyTillandsiaXerophyta, a monocotyledonous genus of 57 species typically occurring on rock outcrops in Southern African grasslands
In December, 2015, resurrection plants were featured in a TED talk given by Professor Jill Farrant, Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, South Africa, who performs targeted genetic modification of crop plants to make them tolerate desiccation by activating genes that are already there but not natively expressed in response to drought.