Some houseplants punish every mistake with yellowing leaves or a sudden collapse. The resurrection plant, also known as the Rose of Jericho, works the opposite way: when conditions turn harsh, it simply dries into a tight brown ball and waits. Add moisture and its fern-like fronds uncurl and turn green again within hours. This spike moss is one of the most forgiving species you can own, which makes it a smart pick for people still learning the basics of keeping plants alive. It grows well without soil, flourishes in bright indirect light, and tolerates long stretches of neglect. For anyone building a first collection, it belongs alongside the easygoing species in our roundup of houseplants for beginners, plants that survive with minimal care.
The plant’s ability to bounce back from bone-dry storage has made it a classroom and windowsill favorite for generations. It also makes an unusual gift, since a dried ball can sit in a drawer for months and still revive. Success comes from understanding how the plant uses water and what it needs once it wakes up.
What Is a Resurrection Plant?
The resurrection plant sold in most garden centers is Selaginella lepidophylla, a spike moss native to the Chihuahuan Desert of North America. Despite the common name, it is not a true moss and not a fern, although its flat, scale-like fronds give it a fern-like appearance. In the wild it grows in rocky, sandy soil where rain arrives rarely and unpredictably. When water disappears, the plant curls inward, protecting its growing tips and storing moisture in its thickened stems.
Two Plants Share the Name “Rose of Jericho”
The same nickname applies to a second, unrelated species: Anastatica hierochuntica, a small desert annual from the Middle East that also curls into a ball when dry. Gardeners usually mean the spike moss when they talk about a houseplant, but check the botanical name on the tag before you buy. The steps in this article apply to Selaginella lepidophylla, the species sold for indoor growing.
Because the plant can survive for months, even years, in a dried state, it earned its resurrection nickname. This trait, called desiccation tolerance, is rare among vascular plants and explains why the species lives through conditions that kill most other greenery.
Why It Thrives With Neglect
The same survival strategy makes the plant undemanding indoors. It needs no soil, no frequent watering, and no fertilizer to stay alive. The main tasks are simple: keep it in bright indirect light, give it water when you want it green, and let it dry between soakings. These are the essential houseplant care tips that experienced growers apply to every low-maintenance species, and the resurrection plant rewards them generously.
How the Resurrection Plant Survives Without Water
Desiccation tolerance works at the cellular level. As the plant dries, its cells lose most of their water without collapsing, and protective sugars and proteins stabilize the cell membranes. When water returns, the cells rehydrate and normal activity resumes within hours. Researchers who study such plants hope to apply these mechanisms to crop breeding and seed storage, but for home growers the practical effect is simple: the plant can be stored dry and revived on demand.
Other drought-tolerant houseplants handle dryness differently. Succulents such as aloe vera survive by storing water in their leaves and roots, then drawing on that reserve during dry spells. The resurrection plant takes the opposite approach: it gives up its water, shuts down, and waits for the next rain. Understanding the difference explains why the two plants need different care schedules.
What happens when the plant dries out:
- The fronds curl inward and the plant forms a tight, brown ball.
- Growth pauses and the plant enters a dormant state.
- The dried ball is light enough to store in a paper bag or box.
- The plant can remain in this state for months without damage.
What happens when you add water:
- The ball starts to swell within minutes.
- Fronds uncurl slowly over a few hours.
- The plant turns green as the cells rehydrate.
- Full recovery usually takes 24 to 48 hours.
How Long Can It Stay Dried Out?
Reports of plants reviving after years in storage are common, although a plant kept dry that long may recover slowly or lose some outer fronds. For best results, revive the plant within a year of drying it out. If you plan to store it, keep the ball in a cool, dry place away from direct sun.
Light, Water, and Temperature Requirements
Place the resurrection plant in bright, indirect light, such as a few feet from an east- or north-facing window. Harsh direct sun can scorch the revived fronds, while deep shade leaves the plant looking thin and pale. A kitchen windowsill with morning sun and afternoon shade works well, and so does a shelf under a grow light set to run 10 to 12 hours a day.
Watering is where this plant differs from almost everything else in your collection. Instead of watering soil, you soak the entire plant. Fill a shallow dish with water, set the dried ball in it, and let the fronds absorb moisture from below. Change the water every day or two if you keep it soaking, and empty the dish once the plant has fully reopened.
| Factor | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Light | Bright, indirect light; avoid harsh midday sun |
| Water | Soak the dried ball in a shallow dish; let it dry between soakings |
| Temperature | 65 to 80 degrees F room temperature |
| Humidity | Average indoor humidity is fine; mist occasionally in dry winter air |
| Soil | None required; grow on pebbles, driftwood, or in a dish |
| Fertilizer | Not required; a very dilute houseplant feed in spring is optional |
Reviving a Dried Ball Step by Step
If you bought the plant in its dried form, the first revival is the most dramatic.
- Fill a shallow bowl or saucer with room-temperature water.
- Place the dried ball in the water, stem side down if visible.
- Let it soak for several hours, adding water as needed.
- Watch the fronds uncurl and green up over 24 hours.
- Pour off the water after the plant opens fully.
How Long to Soak a Dried Plant
A typical soak takes 3 to 6 hours for the ball to open completely. Leaving the plant in standing water for several days encourages rot, so drain the dish after each revival and let the plant dry before the next cycle. Many growers keep the plant green for a week or two, then let it dry into its ball again until the next display.
The plant’s low water needs put it in the same category as the easiest indoor plants. The care principles behind growing succulents apply to much of its lifecycle: infrequent water, bright light, and a container that never stays soggy.
Pruning and Propagating Resurrection Plants
Pruning is minimal. Remove fronds that stay brown after a revival, along with any soft, mushy growth that signals rot. Use clean scissors and cut close to the base of the plant. A healthy plant may lose a few outer fronds every time it dries out, which is normal wear rather than a sign of trouble.
Propagation is done by division. The plant forms a clump of overlapping fronds, and mature specimens can be separated into smaller pieces. The best time to divide is while the plant is revived and flexible, because dry fronds are brittle and snap easily.
How to divide a resurrection plant:
- Soak the plant until the fronds are fully open.
- Gently pull the clump apart by hand into two or three sections.
- Place each section in its own dish of water.
- Keep the divisions in bright, indirect light until they re-establish.
Color behaves differently in this species than in many houseplants. Unlike variegated plants, whose pale patches need extra light to hold their patterns, the resurrection plant keeps its even green tone in modest conditions, and divisions taken from one parent look identical to the original.
Overwintering and Seasonal Care
The resurrection plant does not need a cold rest period, but it does respond to the seasons. In winter, indoor air is dry and light levels drop, so the plant may dry out faster and revive more slowly. Keep it in the brightest spot you have and consider a humidity tray or a light misting every few days.
You can also let the plant sleep through the winter on purpose. A dried ball takes up almost no space, so many growers pack theirs away in November and bring it out again in spring. This seasonal rhythm mirrors the plant’s natural desert cycle and keeps it looking its best year after year.
This easy dormancy is a luxury that thirsty plants do not offer. High-maintenance species, including many tropical houseplants that demand constant humidity and misting, need attention every single day, while the resurrection plant simply waits for better conditions.
Displaying Resurrection Plants With Other Low-Care Species
A revived resurrection plant looks best in a wide, shallow dish where its fronds can spread. Pebbles, glass beads, or a slab of driftwood make a clean base, and because the plant needs no soil, the display stays tidy. Group it with other undemanding species to build a corner that looks full without a demanding watering schedule.
Pairing plants with matching needs is the whole idea behind companion planting, and the logic that guides companion planting for strawberries in the garden applies on a windowsill. Succulents, air plants, and cacti all tolerate the dry periods the resurrection plant requires, and none of them mind sharing a bright shelf.
Display ideas that keep care simple:
- A glass cloche over the revived plant holds humidity and cuts watering frequency.
- A tray of mixed pebbles lets several small species share one base.
- Keep the dried ball on a bookshelf and revive it only when guests come over.
- Pair it with succulents in matching ceramic dishes for a unified look.
The resurrection plant rewards a hands-off approach. Learn its one rhythm, dry and soak, dry and soak, and it will keep coming back year after year, which is more than most houseplants promise.