Rose of Jericho keep on blooming.

August 8, 2014 6:37 AM

A time lapse of a Rose of Jericho (Selaginella lepidophylla). After being exposed to water, the plant turns from a dried tumbleweed to a green fern over the course of several hours.
posted by OmieWise (17 comments total)

If Obama hadn't caused global warming it would never have dried out in the first place.
posted by jimmythefish at 8:01 AM on August 8, 2014

Evolution is awesome.
posted by maryr at 8:06 AM on August 8, 2014

Would it have killed them to just let the timelapse go from beginning to end without all the cuts and jumping back to an earlier point? I found the editing of that video to be maddening.
posted by norm at 8:09 AM on August 8, 2014 [21 favorites]

Came in to say what norm said. Totally agree.
I also could have done without the splash frame at the end. Even if I liked their logo (which I don't), the way it slammed into the frame was incongruous following the practically meditative fern sequence.
posted by staccato signals of constant information at 8:31 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

(Still loved the post and watching the hydration, though. Sorry to complain!)
posted by staccato signals of constant information at 8:32 AM on August 8, 2014

Thirding the criticism of the MTV-style editing. Also, the narrow depth-of-field was distracting and unnecessary.
posted by tonycpsu at 8:33 AM on August 8, 2014

It wasn't cutting back to an earlier point. Those were all separate occurrences of the phenomenon in question:

Thanks. It took around 12-24 hours for the full cycle. I shot this over the course of 3-4 weeks, letting it soak then drying it out again and starting over.

posted by a snickering nuthatch at 8:38 AM on August 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

I thought the cutting was distracting too, but I thought the blooming itself overcame that.
posted by OmieWise at 8:52 AM on August 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

It wasn't cutting back to an earlier point. Those were all separate occurrences of the phenomenon in question:

Jesus, that's possibly even more annoying than what I THOUGHT I was seeing.
posted by norm at 9:06 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

I was kind of hoping this post would make sense of a Cocteau Twins lyric.

Sadly not.

After being exposed to water, the plant turns from a dried tumbleweed to a green fern over the course of several hours.

If I had playdough, and an imagination I reckon I could make this a metaphor.

I'm just going to enjoy life, finding A Way.
posted by Mezentian at 9:08 AM on August 8, 2014

The editing was kind of maddening. Sent me to YouTube to find other footage.
posted by msbutah at 9:42 AM on August 8, 2014 [3 favorites]

I was kind of hoping this post would make sense of a Cocteau Twins lyric.

Don't even try.
posted by forgetful snow at 10:00 AM on August 8, 2014

You are the mage of Jericho!
posted by Mezentian at 10:06 AM on August 8, 2014

I liked the cuts, the different angles, the dripping water, and the depth of field. It looks almost like stop motion. Beautiful stuff.
posted by beau jackson at 10:40 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm with beau jackson - that was beautiful and well-done.

Thank you, OmieWise.

(tho, yes, that splash frame at the end was not good. that fox tongue thing gave me the serious jibblies.)
posted by jammy at 2:09 PM on August 8, 2014

Thanks for the other footage, msbutah. That pulsing thing the plants were doing at the end was eerie, like something out of A Wrinkle in Time.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:41 PM on August 8, 2014

I was kind of hoping this post would make sense of a Cocteau Twins lyric.

Can't help you there, but now I understand Paul Simon's "The Coast" a little bit better. Always loved the songs, had no encounters with the plants. Now I suppose I'll go find a little harbor church of St. Cecilia.
posted by aureliobuendia at 8:45 PM on August 8, 2014