Rose of Jericho Plant Care: The Complete Guide

The Rose of Jericho most commonly sold and kept as a houseplant is Selaginella lepidophylla, a desert spikemoss that survives extreme drought by curling into a tight, dry ball, then unfurling into a green rosette within hours of contact with water, an eye-catching transformation that has made it a beloved novelty plant for generations. Care is refreshingly simple: soak the dried plant in shallow distilled or rainwater until it turns green and opens up, then let it dry out again after about a week, repeating this cycle indefinitely. A completely different plant, the true biblical Rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica), shares the same name and a similar-looking trick, but isn’t grown as a living houseplant in the same way.

Quick Care Facts

Care Factor	Requirement
Scientific name	Selaginella lepidophylla (the plant actually grown as a houseplant)
Common names	Rose of Jericho, Resurrection Plant, False Rose of Jericho, Stone Flower, Dinosaur Plant
Light	Bright, indirect light
Water	Soak in shallow distilled or rainwater to revive; let dry out after about a week
Soil	None required; typically grown on a dish of pebbles rather than in soil
Temperature	Average room temperature; not cold sensitive in its dried state
Humidity	Tolerant of average humidity; benefits from light misting between soakings
Fertilizer	Rarely needed; dilute feed once or twice a year at most
Toxicity	Considered non-toxic
Growth habit	Low, compact rosette; curls into a ball when dry
Difficulty	Very easy; genuinely low-maintenance once you understand the wet-dry cycle

About the Rose of Jericho: Two Different Plants, One Name

Before anything else, it’s worth knowing that “Rose of Jericho” refers to two entirely different, unrelated plants, and only one of them is typically grown as a living houseplant.

Anastatica hierochuntica is the true, biblical Rose of Jericho, a small desert annual native to North Africa and the Middle East. As it dries out at the end of its life cycle, it curls into a tight ball and can tumble across the desert like a tumbleweed, eventually opening back up when it encounters moisture, which helps disperse its seeds. Despite the dramatic reopening, its dried tissue doesn’t actually come back to life; it’s a clever seed-dispersal mechanism rather than true biological resurrection, and it isn’t typically sold or grown as a continuously reusable living houseplant.

Selaginella lepidophylla is the plant almost universally sold online and in nurseries as “Rose of Jericho,” and it’s the one this care guide focuses on. Native to the Chihuahuan Desert of the United States and Mexico, it belongs to the spikemoss family, an ancient group of plants related to club mosses rather than true ferns or flowering plants. Unlike Anastatica, its dried tissue is genuinely alive and dormant rather than dead, allowing it to be rehydrated and dried out repeatedly, sometimes for years, as a long-term, reusable novelty plant.

A Genuinely Ancient Survival Strategy

Spikemosses like Selaginella lepidophylla belong to one of the oldest lineages of vascular plants still alive today, with relatives appearing in the fossil record long before flowering plants evolved. Its ability to survive near-complete desiccation, losing the vast majority of its water content and appearing entirely dead, then resuming normal growth and photosynthesis within hours of rehydration, is a genuinely remarkable physiological trait rather than just a novelty trick. This resilience is exactly what allows the same small plant to be sold dry, shipped without water for extended periods, and still successfully revive once it reaches a new home, which is part of why it’s remained such a popular and enduring curiosity plant for generations.

How to Revive and Care for Rose of Jericho

The core of caring for this plant is a simple wet-dry cycle, and it genuinely requires very little beyond that.

To revive a dried Rose of Jericho, place the curled brown ball in a shallow dish with just enough distilled water or rainwater to cover the base of the plant, without fully submerging it. Within a few hours, and often within less than a day, the plant will absorb the water, uncurl, and turn a vivid green, a transformation dramatic enough that it’s often used as a science demonstration or a way to introduce children to plant biology. Once open, you can keep it sitting in shallow water, or move it to a dish of moist pebbles, for about a week before allowing it to dry out again, at which point it will curl back into its familiar dormant ball. This cycle can be repeated indefinitely, and the plant doesn’t need to be planted in soil to survive.

Use distilled water or rainwater rather than chlorinated tap water when possible, since chlorine and other tap water additives can affect the plant over repeated cycles. Avoid leaving the plant sitting in standing water for extended periods beyond its typical week-long green phase, since prolonged waterlogging can lead to rot rather than benefiting the plant.

Light Requirements

Rose of Jericho does well in bright, indirect light. It doesn’t need intense direct sun, and in fact, its natural desert habitat means it’s adapted to surviving long stretches without ideal conditions at all. A windowsill with filtered light is generally more than sufficient, whether the plant is currently in its dried, dormant state or its green, hydrated phase.

Soil and Potting

Uniquely among houseplants, Rose of Jericho doesn’t require soil to survive its typical care cycle. Most growers keep it in a shallow dish, often lined with decorative pebbles or stones, where it can be soaked periodically and allowed to dry between cycles, making it an unusually low-commitment plant in terms of equipment and setup. Some growers do choose to pot it in a well-draining, sandy potting mix for a more traditional houseplant appearance, in which case it should be watered similarly to other drought-tolerant plants, allowed to dry out between waterings, though the pebble-dish method remains the most common and traditional way to display and care for it.

Temperature and Humidity

Rose of Jericho tolerates a wide range of typical indoor temperatures and isn’t particularly sensitive to normal household conditions, especially while in its dried, dormant state. It tolerates average home humidity well; light misting during its green, hydrated phase can help keep it looking fuller for longer between soak cycles, though it isn’t strictly necessary for the plant’s survival.

Fertilizing

Rose of Jericho needs very little supplemental feeding. If you’d like to fertilize it, a heavily diluted balanced liquid fertilizer, applied once or twice a year at most during its active green phase, is plenty. Avoid fertilizing a newly acquired or recently revived plant for the first couple of months.

Propagation

Rose of Jericho can be propagated by dividing a healthy section of the plant while it’s in its hydrated, green state, then allowing the divided piece to establish on its own dish of moist pebbles or sandy mix. Division isn’t as commonly practiced with this plant as with many typical houseplants, since most owners simply enjoy cycling a single specimen through its wet-dry transformation repeatedly rather than propagating new plants from it.

Is Rose of Jericho Toxic?

Rose of Jericho (Selaginella lepidophylla) is generally considered non-toxic, making it a safe, low-risk novelty plant to keep around pets and children, though as with any plant, ingestion in any quantity isn’t recommended and should be discouraged.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Plant won’t turn green after soaking Give it more time; reviving can take anywhere from a few hours to about a day. If a plant that’s been properly stored dry for a long time still doesn’t respond after a full day of soaking, it may have been damaged or may have exceeded its viable dormancy period.

Rot or mushy texture Caused by leaving the plant in standing water too long or too often. Stick to the typical cycle of roughly a week hydrated followed by a dry period, rather than keeping it constantly wet.

Plant looks dry and shriveled even during its “green phase” This can happen if it’s kept too far from adequate light or humidity during its hydrated period. Light misting and a brighter spot can help it stay fuller and greener for longer before it naturally curls back up.

Doesn’t fully open into a flat rosette Some variation in how fully a Rose of Jericho unfurls is normal and can depend on the specific plant, water quality, and how long it’s been soaking. A partially open plant that’s turned visibly green is still successfully reviving.

Seasonal Care Summary

Season	Watering	Fertilizing	Notes
Spring	Soak weekly cycle as desired	Optional, diluted	Good time to start regular wet-dry cycling if newly acquired
Summer	Soak weekly cycle as desired	Optional, diluted	No special seasonal changes needed
Fall	Soak weekly cycle as desired	None needed	No special seasonal changes needed
Winter	Soak weekly cycle as desired	None	Keep away from cold drafts near windows

Frequently Asked Questions

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