74 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
childhood, before settling down to the sterner du- 
ties of its adult life. When the plants grow tired 
of swimming they dive to the bottom to rest on 
some log or rock, where, if favourable, they attach 
themselves for life. 
Some form of motion is apparent in all kinds of 
plants, as, for instance, in their growth and creep- 
ers; but among the most energetic movements is 
that displayed by the strange telegraph-plant (Des- 
modium gyrans) of India. The leaves of this plant 
are divided into three parts, each of which moves 
continuously: the two external leaflets, which are 
small, travelling up and down in distinct jerks; 
the big leaflet moving only slightly. During the 
entire life of the plant this motion continues. 
A most wonderful example of a plant that rolls 
and tumbles is the Rose of Jericho. This plant 
is not really a rose at all, but is one of the Cru- 
cifere; it grows on the dry deserts of Arabia, and 
near Jerusalem. It is sometimes known as the 
“Resurrection-plant,” and is regarded with much 
awe and reverence by the natives who sell it to 
travellers. When all the moisture goes out of the 
soil, the plant becomes hard and dry, its delicate 
branches roll up into a ball-shape, its seed-pods 
tightly close, and it draws up its small roots from 
the hot sands at the least provocation; then, 
