Resurrection Plant

A time lapse of a Rose of Jericho (Selaginella lepidophylla) also known as the Resurrection Plant. After being exposed to water, the plant turns from a dried tumbleweed to a green fern over the course of several hours.

Rose of Jericho from Sean Steininger on Vimeo.

Additional image below of the plant during the dry season.

Rose of Jericho, also called resurrection plant, two species of unrelated plants known for their ability to survive desiccation. The true rose of Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica) is native to western Asia and is the only species of the genus Anastatica of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). The small gray plant curls its branches and seedpods inward in the dry season, forming a ball. A ball that opens only when moistened. It can survive for years in that form, though it is sometimes uprooted and blown by the wind like a tumbleweed. If still rooted when moistened, it spreads into a green plant as much as 30 cm (1 foot) wide and bears minute white flowers.

source: britannica.com