Genus Rheum Rank Species | ||
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Similar Rheum tibeticum, Iris mariae, Tulipa polychroma, Rheum webbianum, Rheum nobile |
Rheum palaestinum, the desert rhubarb, is a plant indigenous to Israel and Jordan, with the most highly efficient water gathering capabilities known in botany. A
![Rheum palaestinum TrekNature Rheum palaestinum Photo](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-6801ff99-b92e-42e7-85f1-bc95dcf7263-resize-750.jpg)
The plant has broad, rigid leaves, with a waxy surface, and channels cut into them that funnel any water that drops onto them toward its root, with enough force to cause deep soil penetration.
![Rheum palaestinum TrekNature Rheum palaestinum Photo](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-0dd2216a-455f-408a-a0b7-9f6b4c74761-resize-750.jpg)
A Jordanian researcher discovered that the evelution of the unique morphology of the rheum's leaf was not to gather rainwater on its upper surface and drain it to the central stem as previously Israeli scientists thought, but the wrinkled leaf has specifically developed its unique "architecture" as a vapour-trap, tighghtly capping the ground to harvest water by sub-foliar condensation of vapuor rising from the earth.http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/botbel/plecevo/2016/00000149/00000002/art00001
![Rheum palaestinum Rheum palaestinum Feinbrun Flora of Israel Online](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-15cab5b6-dbf4-4961-a826-82b4fdd1129-resize-750.jpeg)
![Rheum palaestinum Rheum palaestinum Feinbrun Flora of Israel Online](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-b9ce71d2-8005-46da-b943-6fc108b2959-resize-750.jpeg)
![Rheum palaestinum httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-dae2bcac-366e-4e82-a059-8e9e1f1597b-resize-750.jpg)
![Rheum palaestinum FileRheum palaestinum 3jpg Wikimedia Commons](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-3a1e7bd4-9c70-410f-9206-673f6b31e4f-resize-750.jpg)
![Rheum palaestinum Rheum palaestinum Feinbrun Checklist View](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-c4230223-1977-4ec5-b187-44881e22dc0-resize-750.jpg)
![Rheum palaestinum Rheum palaestinum Feinbrun Flora of Israel Online](https://alchetron.com/cdn/rheum-palaestinum-f3fb7c1f-2952-44f1-9bd5-bcce23135bd-resize-750.jpeg)