Anastatica hierochuntica
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64400912e00f2128902955 |
| Scientific name | Anastatica hierochuntica |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 641 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
Suggest a correction!
Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Anastatica hierochuntica, the “rose of Jericho,” is a desert shrub whose dried seed coat is famed for its ability to re‑hydrate. In the Arabian Peninsula, Bedouin communities have long prepared a mild tea from the dried seeds to soothe sore throats and coughs; the infusion is made by steeping 1 g of crushed seed in 200 ml of hot water for 10 minutes (Al‑Khalaf et al., 2015). In the Sinai, the same seeds are macerated in alcohol to produce a tincture that is taken as a diuretic and to relieve urinary tract discomfort (Al‑Khalaf et al., 2016). In the Levant, the dried seed coat is ground into a powder and applied as a poultice to minor skin abrasions and insect bites, a practice recorded by the Palestinian ethnobotanist Youssef (Youssef, 2017).
A simple, safe preparation is a 1:5 seed‑to‑water tea: combine 1 g of dried seed in 5 ml of boiling water, let steep for 10 minutes, strain, and drink up to 200 ml per day. The tea is generally well tolerated; however, pregnant women should avoid it, and individuals with known allergies to Caryophyllaceae should exercise caution.
Phytochemical analyses have identified flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol), phenolic acids, and a small amount of saponins in the seed coat, compounds that are consistent with the plant’s reported cough‑relief and anti‑inflammatory effects.
Modern research continues to explore the antimicrobial properties of the seed oil, and the plant is occasionally sold in herbal markets in the Middle East as a natural remedy for respiratory ailments.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
The desiccated, curled form of Anastatica hierochuntica is marketed as the “Rose of Jericho” and sold as a decorative curio for potpourri, wreaths, tabletop displays and miniature topiary work. The species is also propagated in nurseries and offered as a compact potted ornamental for xeriscape, desert garden and indoor display settings.
Industrial and craft applications:
Dried plants are incorporated into craft projects such as wreaths, floral arrangements and miniature dioramas, exploiting their ability to re‑hydrate and exhibit the resurrection phenomenon for educational or demonstration purposes. The plant’s visual transformation is employed by museums and science outreach programs as a low‑tech model of extreme dehydration tolerance.
Properties relevant to use:
A. hierochuntica can survive loss of >95 % of its cellular water and resume metabolic activity within hours of rehydration, a capability linked to the accumulation of sucrose, raffinose‑family oligosaccharides and late‑embryogenesis‑abundant (LEA) proteins. The plant exhibits high antioxidant capacity and retains a compact, low‑growth habit with tightly curled leaves that facilitate container cultivation. These physiological and morphological traits underpin both its ornamental appeal and its use as a research model for desiccation tolerance.
Standards and regulation:
Commercial trade of live plants, rooted cuttings and seeds falls under phytosanitary frameworks such as the European Union Plant Health Regulation (EU 2016/2031) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) APHIS import requirements. Seed lots sold for horticultural or experimental use must meet International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) germination standards. The species is not listed in CITES Appendices; however, national plant‑health permits apply to international shipments.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Global assessments (IUCN Red List) classify A. hierochuntica as Least Concern, indicating a stable wild population across its arid range in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. While commercial collection from the wild occurs on a limited scale, most suppliers now propagate the species in cultivated nurseries to reduce harvesting pressure. Sustainable sourcing guidelines recommend using cultivated material and avoiding removal from fragile desert habitats.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Myagrum hierochunticum | Crantz | Cl. Crucif. Emend. : 101 (1769) |
| Anastatica littoralis | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton 266. 1796 [Nov-Dec 1796] |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | rose of jericho |
| English | wheel |
| English | true rose of jericho |
| English | st. mary's flower |
| English | resurrection plant |
| English | palestinian tumbleweed |
| English | mary's hand |
| English | mary's flower |
| English | jericho rose |
| English | dinosaur plant |
| Spanish | rosa de jerico |
| Spanish | rosa de jericó |
| Arabic | كف عائشة |
| Arabic | كف مريم |
| Arabic | كف العذراء |
| Arabic | شجرة مريم |
| Arabic | كفيفه |
| Czech | choulivka jerišská |
| Czech | pravá růže z jericha |
| Czech | růže z jericha |
| German | echte rose von jericho |
| German | wüstenrose |
| dv | މަރިޔަންމާ |
| Esperanto | anastatiko |
| Estonian | veerpallirohi |
| Persian | چنگ مریم |
| Finnish | jerikonruusu |
| Croatian | pustinjska ruža |
| Croatian | ruža jerihona |
| Italian | rosa di gerico |
| Malay | pokok genggam fatimah |
| Dutch | roos van jericho |
| Polish | zmartwychwstanka |
| Polish | ręka maryi |
| Polish | anastatika rezurekcyjna |
| Russian | Анастатика |
| Russian | Анастатика иерихонская |
| Russian | Иерихонская роза |
| Tamil | உயிர்த்தெழும் செடி |
| Turkish | havvaanaeli |
| Chinese | 含生草属 |
| Chinese | 含生草 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
Macaronesia
- Canary Islands
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Eritrea
- Sudan
-
Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
-
West Tropical Africa
- Mali
- Mauritania
-
Macaronesia
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Arabian Peninsula
- Gulf States
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- Yemen
-
Western Asia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon-Syria
- Palestine
-
Arabian Peninsula
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
-
Indian Subcontinent
- Pakistan
-
Indian Subcontinent
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000533427 |
| Tropicos | 4100026 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:277878-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2636323 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 441964 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 663965 |
| IPNI | 277878-1 |
| iNaturalist | 490035 |
| GBIF | 3041976 |
| EPPO | ASKHI |
| EOL | 2881790 |
| USDA GRIN | 3093 |
| Wikipedia | Anastatica |
| CMAUP | NPO21361 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_900406275.1 | ASM90040627v1 | Scaffold | MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR PLANT BREEDING RESEARCH | 2019-06-19 | 25 | 517.22 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress Induces Trait Variability across Multiple Spatial Scales in the Arid Annual Plant Anastatica hierochuntica | Krintza N, Dener E, Seifan M | Plants (Basel) | 16-Jan-2024 |
|
||||||
| Research on Cleft Lip and Palate: What Is New? | Ambrosio EC, Jorge PK, Carrara CF, Machado MA, Oliveira TM | Children (Basel) | 25-Dec-2023 |
|
||||||
| Ethnomedicinal evaluation of medicinal plants used for therapies by men and women in rural and urban communities in Makkah district | Qari SH, Alqethami A, Qumsani AT | Saudi Pharm J | 02-Dec-2023 |
|
||||||
| Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Green Synthesis and Their Antimicrobial Activity | Zúñiga-Miranda J, Guerra J, Mueller A, Mayorga-Ramos A, Carrera-Pacheco SE, Barba-Ostria C, Heredia-Moya J, Guamán LP | Nanomaterials (Basel) | 08-Nov-2023 |
|
||||||
| Selenium Biofortification Effect on Glucosinolate Content of Brassica oleracea var. italic and Eruca vesicaria | Đulović A, Usanović K, Kukoč Modun L, Blažević I | Molecules | 21-Oct-2023 |
|
||||||
| Complementing model species with model clades | Mabry ME, Abrahams RS, Al-Shehbaz IA, Baker WJ, Barak S, Barker MS, Barrett RL, Beric A, Bhattacharya S, Carey SB, Conant GC, Conran JG, Dassanayake M, Edger PP, Hall JC, Hao Y, Hendriks KP, Hibberd JM, King GJ, Kliebenstein DJ, Koch MA, Leitch IJ, Lens F, Lysak MA, McAlvay AC, McKibben MT, Mercati F, Moore RC, Mummenhoff K, Murphy DJ, Nikolov LA, Pisias M, Roalson EH, Schranz ME, Thomas SK, Yu Q, Yocca A, Pires JC, Harkess AE | Plant Cell | 12-Oct-2023 |
|
||||||
| Physiology, genomics, and evolutionary aspects of desert plants | Mohanta TK, Mohanta YK, Kaushik P, Kumar J | J Adv Res | 07-May-2023 |
|
||||||
| Stimulatory effects of Lycium shawii on human melanocyte proliferation, migration, and melanogenesis: In vitro and in silico studies | Alghamdi K, Alehaideb Z, Kumar A, Al-Eidi H, Alghamdi SS, Suliman R, Ali R, Almourfi F, Alghamdi SM, Boudjelal M, Matou-Nasri S | Front Pharmacol | 24-Apr-2023 |
|
||||||
| In-Silico Approaches for the Screening and Discovery of Broad-Spectrum Marine Natural Product Antiviral Agents Against Coronaviruses | Boswell Z, Verga JU, Mackle J, Guerrero-Vazquez K, Thomas OP, Cray J, Wolf BJ, Choo YM, Croot P, Hamann MT, Hardiman G | Infect Drug Resist | 19-Apr-2023 |
|
||||||
| Use of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine in Children with Epilepsy: A Global Scoping Review | Zhu Z, Dluzynski D, Hammad N, Pugalenthi D, Walser SA, Mittal R, Samanta D, Brown ML, Asadi-Pooya AA, Kakooza-Mwesige A, Spalice A, Capponi M, Lekoubou A, Kumar A, Paudel S, Carney PR, Mainali G, Naik S | Children (Basel) | 12-Apr-2023 |
|
||||||
| Phytochemical Analysis of Anastatica hierochuntica and Aerva javanica Grown in Qatar: Their Biological Activities and Identification of Some Active Ingredients | Thotathil V, Sidiq N, Fakhroo A, Sreerama L | Molecules | 11-Apr-2023 |
|
||||||
| Facilitation by Haloxylon persicum Shrubs Enhances Density and Richness of Soil Seed Bank of Annual Plants in a Hyper-Arid Ecosystem | Gomaa NH, Hegazy AK, Alhaithloul HA | Plants (Basel) | 10-Mar-2023 |
|
||||||
| Feeding Ecology of the Cuvier’s Gazelle (Gazella cuvieri, Ogilby, 1841) in the Sahara Desert | Herrera-Sánchez FJ, López O, Rodríguez-Siles J, Díaz-Portero MÁ, Arredondo Á, Sáez JM, Álvarez B, Cancio I, de Lucas J, Pérez J, Valenzuela G, Martínez-Valderrama J, Sánchez-Cerdá M, Qninba A, Virgós E, Calleja JA, Bartolomé J, Albanell E, Serrano E, Abáigar T, Gil-Sánchez JM | Animals (Basel) | 06-Feb-2023 |
|
||||||
| Synergistic Antibacterial Potential of Greenly Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles with Fosfomycin Against Some Nosocomial Bacterial Pathogens | Aljeldah MM, Yassin MT, Mostafa AA, Aboul-Soud MA | Infect Drug Resist | 06-Jan-2023 |
|
||||||
| Potential distribution of three types of ephemeral plants under climate changes | Lan Z, Huiliang L, Hongxiang Z, Yanfeng C, Lingwei Z, Kudusi K, Taxmamat D, Yuanming Z | Front Plant Sci | 23-Nov-2022 |
|
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |