1. a desert plant, Selaginella lepidophylla, occurring from Texas to South America, having stems that curl inward when dry. 2. rose of Jericho. 3. any of several unrelated desert plants that form a tight ball when dry and unfold and bloom when moistened. The best-known examples are the crucifer Anastatica hierochuntica (also called rose of Jericho), club mosses of the genus Selaginella, and the composite Asteriscus pygmoeus