Live Oak with Resurrection Fern

The dried ferns living on the bark of this Live Oak is called Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides). This remarkable plant can lose about 75% of its water content during a typical dry period and possibly up to 97% in an extreme drought. During this period, it shrivels up to a grayish brown clump of leaves. When it is exposed to water again, it will “come back to life” and look green and healthy. This plant gets its name from this supposed “resurrection,” but it never actually dies during the process. By contrast, most other plants can only lose up to 10% of their water content before they die.