Tinospora fragosa plants have the amazing ability (when detached from the mother plant) of forming an aerial root which can grow down from 10 m and more above ground before re-rooting and thus re-establishing the plant. In their native dry bushveld habitat the plants are often disturbed by big game such as kudu and elephants. Instead of dying, the plant simply drops or grows a new "lifeline" re-establishing itself. The root will only appear during the rainy season and the rest of the plant will remain dormant, as its first priority is rooting during the warm, wet season. This solitary root is initially thin (1-1.5 mm in diameter) but once established soon thickens.

The growth rate is also very fast and can reach up to 10-250 mm per day. When a branch is cut up in fragments of 200 mm and longer and hung on a string during the summer or autumn, it should rapidly form a survival root. The common name 'wonder plant' derived its name from this vegetative survival ability. The name Aaron's rod was given by Limpopo farmers. They observed the plant sprouting from the air and it reminded them of the Biblical verses in Numbers 17:1-8 where the Israelites disputed the leadership of Aaron. Moses ordered the rods of the 12 tribal leaders to be placed in the tabernacle. Aaron's rod sprouted within a day upon which his leadership was accepted.