"Any wannabe gardener would appreciate a plant that waters itself. Now research shows how one plant does this: The desert rhubarb plant captures 16 times more liquid from its bone-dry surroundings than neighboring plants.
In a place that receives an average of just 3 inches (75 mm) of rainfall a year (the desert rhubarb grows in the mountains of Israel's Negev desert), every drop of water counts. And so desert plants have evolved ways to stay hydrated, including sporting tiny leaves to reduce the surface area exposed to the sun's water-zapping rays.
The rhubarb plant (Rheum palaestinum), however, takes an entirely different approach: Its huge leaves funnel water to its single root.
With one to four leaves arranged in a rosette, from a distance, the plant looks a bit like a hardy piece of kale. But up close, it can be seen that each leaf, which can measure up to about 28 inches (70 cm), is etched with deep depressions and ridges.
As a whole, the leaves function like the mountainous topography of the region, albeit on a smaller scale. Like the mountains and valleys that might route water into a river, the plant's leaves channel rainwater toward the ground surrounding the rhubarb plant's root.
"We were surprised because [the phenomenon] was not known, because it is so beautiful, and because very good scientists that were our teachers and mentors knew the plant and missed the principle," Lev-Yadun told LiveScience."
In a place that receives an average of just 3 inches (75 mm) of rainfall a year (the desert rhubarb grows in the mountains of Israel's Negev desert), every drop of water counts. And so desert plants have evolved ways to stay hydrated, including sporting tiny leaves to reduce the surface area exposed to the sun's water-zapping rays.
The rhubarb plant (Rheum palaestinum), however, takes an entirely different approach: Its huge leaves funnel water to its single root.
With one to four leaves arranged in a rosette, from a distance, the plant looks a bit like a hardy piece of kale. But up close, it can be seen that each leaf, which can measure up to about 28 inches (70 cm), is etched with deep depressions and ridges.
As a whole, the leaves function like the mountainous topography of the region, albeit on a smaller scale. Like the mountains and valleys that might route water into a river, the plant's leaves channel rainwater toward the ground surrounding the rhubarb plant's root.
"We were surprised because [the phenomenon] was not known, because it is so beautiful, and because very good scientists that were our teachers and mentors knew the plant and missed the principle," Lev-Yadun told LiveScience."
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- DeliaTheArtist
- added this
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wow! super cool!
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Huh, I wish my garden could water itself sometimes! pretty incredible though!
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- ALLNATURALVEGANS
- 4 months ago
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I water myself sometimes....................
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- onemalefla
- 4 months ago
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does this mean that it can be possibly used in other parts of the world??
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it basically drinks its own pee
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Can you eat it ?
