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Cells of Native Israeli “Resurrection Plant” Reveal Surprising Shape: the Star of David

Leora Eren Frucht / Aimee Herd reporting : Mar 21, 2005
Israel21C.com

The Israeli Persian Buttercup is native to Israel, and a “survivor” wildflower that thrives under the dry, harsh conditions found in that region of the world. Its existence alone provides an analogy of the surviving nature of the Israeli people, but when one looks closer an amazing image is revealed. The cells of the flower’s root, when viewed under a microscope are the very shape of the Israeli “Star of David.”

The discovery was made by Dr. Rina Kamenetsky, a researcher for the Volcani Institute in Israel, when she was studing the survival qualities of the plant. “When my Canadian colleague Professor Larry Peterson saw it, he called me over right away and said: 'Look, Rina: here's something especially for you.' I was truly amazed,” said Kamenetsky, “It really is symbolic.”

The flower is known as a “resurrection plant,” meaning that it can survive without water then revives when water is available. The information this plant contains on drought-resistance could prove valuable in making other plants hardier, in the future.