The time-lapse movie of rose of Jericho uncurling and some basic informations about this amazing plant. Speed of movie: x50. Can you believe that whole “revival” took about 16 minutes?
Music: Blörb, der Bär – Opportunist Waltz (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
What is that?
It is a plant, a type of tumbleweed – a dry, curled weed which “travels” with a wind. You can buy it in shops, but look rather for photos than names. It has many names including rose of Jericho, false rose of Jericho, resurrection plant, resurrection moss, stone flower, dinosaur plant, doradilla and siempre viva. Its Latin names are Selaginella lepidophylla and Lycopodium lepidophyllum. It is often confused, even by professional sellers, with Anastatica hierochuntica – a plant also known as true rose of Jericho. It happened to me as well, but I am happy with that mistake 
They also share some common names.
Where it grows?
It grows in the hot deserts, mainly of Chihuahuan Desert (Mexico/USA).
Why it is so special?
It can stay without water for years. Even after 50 years it will revive in minutes. All you need is to pour water. Boiling (sic!) water will speed up the effect – that is the reason for a steam in the movie. It uncurls speedily for 15-20 minutes and it is uncurled fully in less than 2-3 hours. This time-lapse movie is recorded in about 16 minutes. It is not fully green on the photo. It comes brownish with age 🙁 I like a lot its smell. It is earthy and reminds me the smell of the pu-erh tea. You can even drink it! I never tried it, but if the taste is like its smell – it is worth it! Most recipes I found says you need one tablespoon of dried false rose of Jericho and pour hot water. It is used in cold and sore throat problems, because it is antimicrobial. For example scientists proved it is good for inhibition of Helicobacter pylori – bacteria which is the main cause of peptic ulcer. I have not found any information about interactions or how it acts on your organs, so if you are sick or you take drugs – do not use it, unless you have a reliable source it is safe for you.