Desert Plant Survives By Watering Itself

July 10, 2009 4:19 p.m. EST

Haifa, Israel (AHN) - Israeli researchers have learned that the desert rhubarb plant waters itself to survive with its uniquely-shaped leaves doing the trick.

The plant (Rheum palaestinum), which grows in the Negev Desert, have leaves with deep depressions and ridges that catch and funnel rainwater to its single root. The leaves arranged in a rosette are also waxy so water flows quickly to the root.

In a study of the plant, researchers from the University of Haifa-Oranim poured water on the plant and saw the water flow from its leaves' depressed veins to the ground.

They also found that the desert rhubarb can harvest as much water as Mediterranean plants.