Anastatica
| Anastatica | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Anastatica |
| Species: | A. hierochuntica |
| Binomial name | |
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Anastatica hierochuntica L. |
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Anastatica or white mustard flower is a monotypic genus with the type species Anastatica hierochuntica. The genus is a member of the family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae), in the division Magnoliophyta of the class Magnoliopsida. The plant is a small gray annual herb that rarely grows above 15 centimetres (6 in) high, and bears minute white flowers. It is a tumbleweed and a .
The most commonly used common name in English may be rose of Jericho; other common names include Jericho rose, true rose of Jericho, Maryam's flower, flower of St Mary, St. Mary's flower, Mary's flower, and white mustard flower. About the name "rose of Jericho", the 16th century herbalist John Gerard is said to have remarked the coiner of the name spoiled it in the mint; for of all plants that have been written of not any are more unlike unto the rose.
This species is not to be confused with Selaginella lepidophylla, also known as "rose of Jericho" and "false rose of Jericho".
Anastatica is found in arid areas in the Middle East and the Sahara Desert, including parts of North Africa and regions of Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan .
After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball, and "hibernates". Within the ball, the fruits remain attached and closed, protecting the seeds and preventing them from being dispersed prematurely. The seeds are very hardy and can remain dormant for years. Wetted again in a later rainy season, the ball uncurls and the plant wakes up from its dormant state, which causes the capsular fruits to open (dehisce) to disperse the seeds. If water is sufficient, the dispersed seeds germinate within hours. A fraction of the seeds are dispersed in the vicinity of the parent plant by raindrops hitting a spoon-like appendix on the seeds. The seeds have a sticky coat that helps them adhere to the soil, but they also may be carried downstream by surface wash. However, seeds swept downstream do not survive.
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Wikipedia