Meaning & use
resurrection plant
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebiology
A desert plant that dries into a tight brown ball during drought and unfolds and turns green again when watered.
Grammar: Often sold as a novelty plant that can be revived in a dish of water.
Patterns
- revive a resurrection plant
We put the dry resurrection plant in water and watched it unfurl overnight.
A resurrection plant can survive for years without rain.
The shop sold resurrection plants as curious gifts.
nouncountablebiologyspecialist
Any of several unrelated plants, such as the rose of Jericho, that share this ability to revive after drying out.
Grammar: The common name covers different species around the world.
Patterns
- a type of resurrection plant
Botanists study the resurrection plant to understand drought tolerance.
Several moss and fern species are also called resurrection plants.
The desert resurrection plant looks dead in the dry season.
Word forms
| plural | resurrection plants |
|---|
Common combinations
- revive a resurrection plant
- Soak the roots to revive a resurrection plant.
- a dried resurrection plant
- A dried resurrection plant looks like a brown fist.
- desert resurrection plant
- The desert resurrection plant grows in Mexico.
- water a resurrection plant
- You only need to water a resurrection plant occasionally.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rose of Jericho
- Rose of Jericho names one particular plant often sold as a resurrection plant.
- desert moss
- Desert moss is an informal name used for some such plants, not an exact scientific term.
- succulent
- A succulent stores water in thick leaves, while a resurrection plant survives by drying out.
Word family
- resurrection noun
- coming back to life or use
- resurrect verb
- to bring back to life
- plant noun
- a living organism that grows in soil
- desiccation noun
- extreme drying out
Commonly confused: resurrection plant or succulent?
resurrection plant vs succulent
A succulent stores water inside its leaves and stays alive; a resurrection plant looks dead until it is watered.
Practice
A plant that curls up looking dead in drought and turns green again when watered is called a ___.
Choose one answer.
A resurrection plant revives after drying out. A water lily lives in water and does not dry out.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “resurrection plant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.