Dinosaur Plant

Hello, I am the amazing Dinosaur Plant! I am one of the longest-living plants in the world! My ancestors were around to see the first dinosaurs emerge. At that time, we grew to over 120 feet, much taller than even a Tyrannosaurus Rex! The dinosaurs and my relatives were great friends, although they did eat us occasionally.

When the ice age came, we had to mutate and get really small. We learned how to blow over dry land and sleep, waiting for water. Usually we drifted around until we stumbled upon a puddle. Then we drank greedily and went back to sleep until we found our next "fountain"!

My secret is that I am very easy to care for. I don’t even need to bury my roots! All I need is a little water and some occasional sleep. With the Brachiosaurus gone, I’ll be perfectly safe in your home!

Give me some water and I will spring to life in less than one day! Let me dry out, and I will shrink back to my sleeping state. I can sleep for up to fifty years and will still rise when you place me in water!

What’s included in your kit Clear plastic bowl Bag of New Mexico lava rocks Dinosaur Plant

What you’ll need to get Cup or glass Water Sunlight

Bring me back to life!

1. Remove the New Mexico lava rocks from the bag and place them in the bowl.

2. Arrange the rocks in a circle, making a hole in the center.

3. Fill your cup with water, dunk me several times in the water, and place me in the center of the lava rocks with my roots down.

4. Pour enough water into the bowl to cover my roots.

5. Watch me spring to life and grow right before your eyes! If you look closely, you may even be able to see me move! Listen, and you might hear my fibers expanding. I’ll be fully awake in just three hours.

Put me back to sleep!

To dry me out, simply don’t refill my bowl today and let the water evaporate. I’ll fall asleep in a week, and you can wake me up again a few weeks later!

Tips for Caring for Me

• When you bring me back to life, change my water and rinse me every day for the first few weeks.
• I come back to life best in nearly full sunlight at temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, although I prefer to grow in semi-shade.
• I will grow in my bowl of water indefinitely, although I do prefer to a few naps each year.
• I need a minimal temperature of 40 degrees.
• I like high humidity. But don’t keep me in a terrarium or I may get moldy.
• I will survive in a dry state for up to fifty years, but I prefer to be re-hydrated every couple of years.
• I may be damaged if I am allowed to dry out in less than six hours or longer than a week.

Interesting Facts

I, your Dinosaur Plant:

• am native to Mexico and Texas, chiefly around Big Bend National Park, in desert and semi-desert regions.
• curl up into a tight ball when dry so that the wind can easily roll me to a new location, hopefully closer to moisture.
• am sold in Mexican markets for use as a diuretic.
• can survive in a dry habitat where water is available only occasionally.
• need some dry periods which keep me small.

• am used as Christmas decorations.

• turn red-brown or gray-green with age and produce dense tufts.

• grow to be about 4 inches.
• am made into absorptive powder in the pharmaceutical industry.

• have hygroscopic qualities which cause me to curl up when dry and unfold when moist.
• am an ideal symbol for the coming of life.
• retain 3% of my water when I’m dehydrated.
• am used in fireworks.
• have amazing roots. Although shallow, my root system is very extensive and my leaves and stems can uptake water directly.
• am very evolved. Although I resemble mosses, I’m considered to be more evolutionary advanced because I am vascular. That means I have specialized fluid-conducting tissues, which help me to quickly hydrate myself.
• come from a family of amazing plants. My ancestors were a dominant group during the Carboniferous period when they grew to be the size of trees and contributed to the coal deposits, which humans use today for fuel.

• am being researched so that my genes can be transferred into crop plants such as rice, wheat, and maize to make them more resistant to drought.

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