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Rose of Jericho mould: water left sitting in the dish

Updated: 21 October 2026

The dish smells, or a white coat has appeared on the brown ball, and you need to know whether this is rose of Jericho mould or a plant that was never going to turn green. Take it out of the water first. Standing water is how these dried balls go fuzzy, and a brown open shape is a different problem. The [Rose of Jericho comparison](/hub/houseplants/rose-of-jericho) is the listing table. This page is for the parcel already in the house. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk review patterns from the 20 October 2026 capture, The Guardian’s dry-down note, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and did not treat a mouldy plant in a lab.

The dish smells, or a white coat has appeared on the brown ball, and you need to know whether this is rose of Jericho mould or a plant that was never going to turn green. Take it out of the water first.

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HOSTENATURA HOSTENATURA

Best overall

HOSTENATURA HOSTENATURA
7.2/10about £5.85
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EquSym EquSym 7-pack

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EquSym EquSym 7-pack
7.2/10about £19.51
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YAKEBA YAKEBA gift box

Rank 3

YAKEBA YAKEBA gift box
7.3/10about £21.74
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On this page
  1. 1.Mould means it stayed wet
  2. 2.Brown is not the same as mould
  3. 3.Crushed, dusty, or fewer plants than the title
  4. 4.When to throw it away

Mould means it stayed wet

White or grey fuzz on a rose of Jericho is what stagnant water does to a dried ball. EquSym’s 7-pack texts mention mould, muddy water, and watering the top. HERBALISTA 8-pack texts mention white fluffy mould and water that was not changed. Brxmpn’s only UK review says the plant went mouldy on watering. YAKEBA texts, from Germany and France, mention mould and tips that stay grey-brown. A rinse, then a full dry, is the limit here. Do not use diluted hydrogen peroxide, cinnamon, or bicarbonate. If you wet it again, use fresh rainwater or distilled water to a pebble line only, and do not leave it for a week. The timetable is on the how to revive a rose of Jericho page.

Brown is not the same as mould

A ball that opens and stays brown, with no fuzz and no sour smell, is not mould. Anastatica hierochuntica, including dried flowers sold as Chajarat Mariam, is a skeleton that uncurls and stays brown. A dead Selaginella lepidophylla can do the same. A 2019 paper in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface shows that outer stems of the spikemoss can still move when the tissue is dead. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says a plant that opens and stays tan to dark brown can be a dead spikemoss sold as if it will live. The Spruce treats black, mushy, or sour tissue as rot from constant water, and “stays brown” as low humidity or a dead plant. Which plant you are holding is on the Selaginella or Anastatica page. Do not soak a brown ball to force the green photograph on the listing.
HOSTENATURA HOSTENATURA

Testsieger

HOSTENATURA HOSTENATURA
7.2/10about £5.85
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Crushed, dusty, or fewer plants than the title

A short count or a crushed ball is not a watering problem. HERBALISTA’s 8-pack title says 2.5–3.5 in, while review texts often say nearer 1–2 in, dusty or crushed. The unit-count field says 1.0 while the title says eight plants, which you cannot reconcile before opening. The Rose of Jericho buying guide treats a count conflict as a reason to hesitate. Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is satisfactory quality. Section 11 is a match to the description, so eight plants or a diameter is a term. Citizens Advice on 0345 404 0506 is the number if a return stalls. Sizes vary inside one bag, so not every small ball is a breach. EquSym’s 7-pack is different: the count fields agree on seven, and several texts say the bag held more than seven. Extra pieces are not a short count.

When to throw it away

Bin the ball when the tissue is soft, black, or strongly sour, and wash the dish. A light dusty coat on a dry arrival is not rot. Dry dust can be shaken off outdoors. A soft ball does not go back into a pebble dish. Do not dry it on the kitchen board you use for food. Also bin a confirmed annual, or a dead spikemoss, if you wanted green fronds. If a child or a pet eats the dried plant, use NHS 111 or a vet. A fertility line on a listing is seller text, not a reason to brew the ball.

Common questions

Why has it gone mouldy?
It stayed wet. Standing water, water left unchanged, and water poured on the crown are the patterns in the amazon.co.uk review texts for these listings. White or grey fuzz is the visible result. A dry brown ball that has not been soaked is not that problem yet.
Should you keep soaking a mouldy ball?
No. Lift it out, empty the dish, and let it dry in the air. Do not return it to the same water the same day. A light surface coat is not a cue for another soak. Peroxide and cinnamon are not the treatment on this page.
It opened but stayed brown. Is that mould?
Not if there is no fuzz and no sour smell. Brown and open can be dried Anastatica, or a dead spikemoss whose stems still move in water. Mould is a coat or a smell after the plant has been kept wet. Colour alone is the species question.
The water smells. What now?
Empty the dish, lift the plant out, and let both the ball and the bowl dry. A sour or muddy smell is the rot warning, which review texts tie to water that was not changed. If the tissue is already soft or black, bin the plant and wash the dish.
The plants arrived crushed or short. Is that a care problem?
No. Crushing and a short count are a description problem. HERBALISTA review texts often describe balls nearer 1–2 in against a 2.5–3.5 in title, plus dust and broken pieces. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 expects satisfactory quality and a match to the description. Citizens Advice is 0345 404 0506 if the return stalls.
The photos were bright green. Why is mine dull?
The photograph is often a living green spikemoss. A dried ball arrives brown. It turns green only if the inner tissue of Selaginella lepidophylla is alive. Dull, dry, and closed on arrival is normal. Fuzzy after a long soak is not.
When do you throw it away?
Throw it away when it is soft, black, or strongly sour, and wash the dish. Also stop if you wanted green fronds and you now know you have a brown skeleton that will not become one. A dry, intact brown ball you have not soaked yet is not rubbish. It is still a plant you can try once, on the how-to page, if the species is the spikemoss.

Related pages

Best rose of Jericho

Rose of jericho

Rose of Jericho buying guide: the name, count and box

How to revive a rose of Jericho in a shallow dish

Selaginella lepidophylla vs Anastatica hierochuntica

Sources

Public UK and botanical sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these ten listings were read on 20 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS, Selaginella lepidophylla (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Anastatica hierochuntica (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Kew POWO, Selaginella lepidophylla (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. The Guardian, houseplant of the week: resurrection plant, 8 November 2024 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, stem movement in Selaginella lepidophylla, 2019 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9 and 11 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, plants and wood from outside the EU (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. ASA, healthcare and medicinal claims (retrieved 20 October 2026)