Pleopeltis polypodioides,
Resurrection fern
Why is this plant called “resurrection fern” ? To answer that, the plant does something quite spectacular, it uses compartmentalized turgor sinks to flood and drain it’s cells; giving the illusion of it resurrecting from the dead. The photographs taken of this fern are all in the same day( 1 hour from the arrival of a storm then 2 hours after squall passed)
This plant is native to both the East Coast of the United States and the West Coast of Africa, meaning it’s one of the original species associated with Pangea’s breakup.
This species is also one that has been used in turgor experiments in space. ( Space Shuttle Discovery, 1997)
This fern species is one of the northern most native epiphytes in the United States.
Photographed on an American Elm at Chestnut Return Farm, Seneca, South Carolina.
Note: This plant has been naturalized in Texas and other southern states.
Also check out Kenneth Cramm’s time lapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdB_pmzhhbE