Water plants themselves

Israeli scientists have discovered desert Rhubarb (Rumex hymenosepalus), the first plant in the world to water itself, in the Negev desert - one of the driest regions in the world.

Desert Rhubarb plants can hold 16 times more water than other plants and develop unique self-watering ability in the arid region. The research team of the Department of Biology and Science Education at Haifa-Oranim University described the diameter of the leaves to be 1m wide, compared to the plants with very small leaves in the desert. They found that the broad leaves of the tree were its secret, because the leaves contained a lot of tiny tubes to contain water.

According to the team, the leaf grooves act as a tiny irrigation system, causing the water to flow slowly and directly into the tree, while keeping the water from evaporating. Research results show that desert Rhubarb plants can capture a large amount of water no less than Mediterranean plants, at 426mm a year.

The Negev Desert occupies more than 50% of the land area of ​​southern Israel, close to Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.

Desert Rhubarb tree with giant leaves contains plenty of water
(Photo: Tiuli.com)