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Glite Dictionary
Selaginella lepidophylla

Selaginella lepidophylla

9.9
A small plant that curls into a dry ball with no water and opens when it gets wet
  • noun
  • /səˌlædʒɪˈnɛlə lɛpɪˈdɒfɪlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Selaginella lepidophylla
  • The unique ability of Selaginella lepidophylla to curl into a ball has earned it the name 'resurrection plant.'

Examples

  • Selaginella lepidophylla can survive for years without water, reviving quickly when it becomes moist.

  • Botanists often study Selaginella lepidophylla to learn about drought resistance in plants.

  • The Selaginella lepidophylla is often called the resurrection plant.

  • Have you seen a Selaginella lepidophylla before?

  • Selaginella lepidophylla curls up into a tight ball when it is dry, but it unfurls and grows again when moisture is available.

  • In desert gardens, Selaginella lepidophylla is appreciated for its ability to thrive in dry conditions and revive after rain.

  • The remarkable characteristic of Selaginella lepidophylla is its ability to go dormant during droughts and quickly come back to life with water.

Synonyms

rose of Jericho
vsSelaginella lepidophylla
  • Literature
9.8

A desert plant that curls into a ball when dry and opens when wet

is a specific species recorded as native to arid regions
resurrection plant
vsSelaginella lepidophylla
8.3

A small desert plant that looks dead when dry but turns green when it gets water

physically curls into a tight ball when dry rather than only appearing dead

Surface Forms

Selaginella lepidophylla singular
Selaginella lepidophyllas plural

Morphology

Selaginella + lepidophylla

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name where the second element 'lepidophylla' is not a common English word and is absent from the provided dictionary entry; B1 learners would not be able to infer the species' special behaviour (the "resurrection" trait) from the parts. Even if a learner recognised 'Selaginella' as a spike moss, that knowledge does not transparently yield the full species meaning, so the expression is not compositionally derivable.

Etymology

Selaginella lepidophylla is called the 'resurrection plant' because when it gets very dry it will curl into a tight brown ball and look dead, then uncurl and turn green again after some water. That strong image of seeming to die and then 'come back to life' explains the name and its meaning.