World's First 'Self-Watering' Plant: Desert Rhubarb

Sciencedaily.com reports that a group of researchers from the Department of Science Education- Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim have managed to understand the "self-irrigating" mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert. The plant is unique in that it has large waxy leaves that are up to a meter in diameter. "The findings have shown that the natural selection process has resulted in the evolution of this plant's extremely large leaves, which improved its ability to survive in the arid climate of the desert." This is the first example of a self-irrigating plant worldwide.