How to Care for a Rose of Jericho

The Rose of Jericho, also called Doradilla or resurrection plant, is a very curious plant, easy to care for even for the most inexperienced gardener. It is a plant full of curiosities and contradictions. First of all, the Jericho plant is attributed with magical properties and also the possibility of attracting good luck, which is why it is now so popular. Although it is called the “rose” of Jericho, it is not a rose or a rose bush, nor does it have anything to do with the rose family, so what is the flower of Jericho?. Learn all about how to care for Rose of Jericho.

What is the Rose of Jericho?

The rose of Jericho is a curious plant, full of contradictions:

1. As a plant, it is neither a rose nor a rose bush. The plant of Jericho is a plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family, scientifically called Anastatica hierochuntica.
2. It is not a plant that grows in the city of Jericho, it is native to the deserts of Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt.
3. The origin of its name is somewhat uncertain. It is only known that some travelers brought some plants to the city of Jericho in the early Middle Ages when the city was an important commercial point in the area.
4. Jericho was a city known for the sale of medicinal and aromatic plants, and already at that time, the Rose of Jericho has attributed healing and magical powers…the rest is history, which has come down to our days.

Genuine Rose of Jericho

Two plants have the honor of being attributed to the plant of Jericho, a true and a false Rose of Jericho. The authentic one is Anastatica hierochuntica, the false one is a plant native to Central America, Selaginella lepidophylla, also called false Rose of Jericho, which is quite similar.

Magical Properties of The Rose of Jericho

If the rose of Jericho is known for something, it is for its magical properties, it is considered a sacred plant, capable of miraculously attracting love, peace, health, strength, happiness, even economic tranquility, and work. In short, it is believed to be able to bless and protect the houses in which it is found.

But other more interesting properties are attributed to it, the Jericho flower can absorb negative energy, such as envy or the evil eye, and convert them into positive energies.

Healing Properties of The Rose of Jericho

Almost all plants contain active principles, with which they offer benefits to our health, although only a few are used because they have a higher concentration.

The plant of Jericho has healing principles capable of helping to heal wounds faster, in addition to having diuretic properties.

Characteristics of the Rose of Jericho

• The rose of Jericho has attracted the attention of naturalists and gardeners for its great capacity to resist extremely dry periods.
• It can dry out completely. In this state, its leaves will shrink completely, and it will acquire a spherical shape; it can remain dry for years.
• If the plant is hydrated again, because the environment is humid or we put it in contact with water, it will recover all its splendor.
• It has tiny roots, which contract along with the plant and become dormant in the dry period so that the plant can detach itself from the soil and roll for long distances.
• This change from dry to green can be repeated many times over the years.
• It is a plant that does not usually exceed 6″ (15 centimeters) in height.
• At the flowering time, it will offer small white flowers.

Rose of Jericho Care

The Rose of Jericho is an extremely resistant plant, it will withstand practically any adverse situation to which we expose it, but if we want it to grow better we will have to take into account a series of recommendations:

Sun Exposure

The rose of Jericho is accustomed to the deserts, with very strong insolation.

This plant needs about 8 hours of sun daily so that it grows well.

We can look for a location in which it does not have to receive direct sun, but with very good illumination.

What it does not support are temperatures below 60 °F (16ºC). Thus, frosts are not good for it.

Location

It is not a plant particularly sensitive to the quality of the soil in which it is planted, a normal garden soil will be an optimal place for it to grow in perfect conditions.

Rose of Jericho, care in pot. Depending on the area in which we live, it will be preferable to plant the rose of Jericho in a pot, especially if the temperatures during the winter are very low so that we can take it to a protected place.

Watering

If it can withstand years without being watered…no, if we want the plant to be perfect it must receive periodic watering. At least three times a week in very hot weather, and one or two in periods of higher humidity.

One way to know if it needs watering is to observe the substrate of the pot, if we see that it is dry, it is that the Rose of Jericho needs watering.

Rose of Jericho, care in water. Some buy this plant completely dry and introduce it in a completely submerged fish tank, in a few hours it will open completely.

It can be kept in water without the need to put it in a pot, with the precaution of changing the water in the tank regularly.

It can also be placed on a plate with water, and the rose of Jericho will absorb the water, remaining completely green.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing the rose of Jericho only needs to be done to stimulate its growth. It will be enough once a year during the spring, adding compost or garden compost.

Legend of the Rose of Jericho

Several legends have grown up around the Jericho plant.

It is believed that in the Middle Ages it was used to predict the weather, due to its reaction to environmental humidity.

Thus, if the weather changed and announced rain, the Rose of Jericho began to open. The rapidity of the transformation warned of the proximity of the rains.

Christians have many legends associated with this plant, among the most popular we can find:

• One legend says that when Mary and Joseph were fleeing from Herod to prevent him from being able to kill the baby Jesus, Mary got off the donkey and when she touched the ground a rose of Jericho sprouted from the ground to greet Jesus.
• Another legend states that when Jesus died on the cross, all the roses dried up. After three days they rose again, coinciding with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• One more, affirms that the Rose of Jericho appeared when Jesus shed his blood for humanity.

As you can see, there is no shortage of legends surrounding the Rose of Jericho.

Where to Buy Rose of Jericho

If you do not know where to buy the Rose of Jericho here we leave you the best places to get your piece.

We hope that this article on how to care for the Jericho Rose will be of great help and will encourage you to have one of these beautiful plants in your home. We recommend our article about Xeriscaping: What it is and Plants.