The Resurrection Plant

Have you ever seen a Resurrection Plant?

They are actually pretty cool!

My First Encounter

My Mom always had a LOT of houseplants. And I do mean a lot. I always loved seeing her latest additions to her indoor jungle.

I remember when I was around 9- or 10-years old, my Mom got a Resurrection Plant. When she first showed it to me, I thought it looked interesting, but it didn’t look alive. It was just this tight brown ball of almost fern-like dried leaves. 

Mom told me this was a Resurrection Plant and that in it’s current state, it represented all the people we loved who had passed away. Mom told me to put this plant into a shallow bowl of water and then wait to see what would happen.

What happened next seemed like a miracle to me!

Over the next several hours, the plant began to open up as if it were blossoming. The leaves began to turn green and stretch out from the ball it was in. The plant came alive before my eyes and turned into this beautiful, interesting, exotic and ancient looking plant!

When the plant was fully opened and green, Mom told me that this state of the plant represented life everlasting. That all the people we’ve loved and lost may appear to be gone from our lives, but their energy is still with us and they now live – resurrected (in a sense) in Heaven. 

I like that.

Interesting Information About the Resurrection Plant

The Resurrection Plant, Selaginella lepidophylla, is also called an Everlasting Evergreen or a False Rose of Jericho. This plant is part of the spikemoss family and is native to the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. 

The unique characteristic of this plant is: after it dries up, it can come back to life! And it can do that – over, and over, and over again! Life everlasting!

When the plant is dried up, it isn’t dead – it’s just in a dormant state. The plant can withstand extreme dehydration because of the proteins and cellular membranes in the plant. When it gets a little bit of water, the plant blooms back to life. How cool is that?!?

Mom’s Resurrection Plant

Over the years, Mom’s plant has been dried and rehydrated many times. When I got married and moved into our new house, Mom gave me her Resurrection Plant.  I’ve enjoyed her plant in my home for many years now. 

I still have Mom’s plant. When our boys were young, they too were fascinated by this plant. And even now, as teenagers, they still appreciate the uniqueness of their Grandma’s plant. 

Christmas Gifts

While I won’t part with my Mom’s Resurrection Plant, over the years I have given the Resurrection Plant as gifts to quite a few friends.

In January this year, sadly my Dad passed away. He’s with Mom now, and I can still feel their energy with me. I think of them both when I see Mom’s plant.

This year, I’m giving each of my brothers their own Resurrection Plants, as a symbol of our parent’s lives – and their love – everlasting.