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This weird fern is the first known plant that turns its dead leaves into new roots

The tree fern Cyathea rojasiana gets thrifty to survive in Panama’s Quebrada Chorro forest

A photograph of a Cyathea rojasiana tree fern surrounded by fallen leaves.

Cyathea rojasiana tree ferns in Panama’s Quebrada Chorro forest revive their dead leaves by turning them into tiny roots.

 J. Dalling

By Darren Incorvaia

To get by in the waterlogged, low-nutrient soil of the Quebrada Chorro forest in western Panama, a species of tree fern repurposes its dead fronds, turning them into roots.