It is a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and [date] honey. Deuteronomy 8, 8. The Ficus carica was cultivated for its fruit some 6500 years ago. It is a dioecious species with separate male and female trees, and a symbiotic pollinator wasp (Blastophaga […]
The Palestine Oak (Quercus calliprinos) is closely related to the Kermes Oak (Quercus coccifera) of the western Mediterranean, and is treated as a subspecies or variety of it by some botanists. The Kermes Oak is distinguished from it by its smaller size (usually shrubby, not over 10 m) and smaller acorns less than 2 cm […]
The gundelia, is an edible spiny, thistle-like flowering plant, a member of the Aster family (Asteracea or Compositae). A member of this genus, tumbleweed Gundelia tournefortii, Galgal came under the spotlights in 1998, when its pollen grains were found on the Shroud of Turin. In modern Hebrew it is called Akuvit ha-galgal.” This name combines […]
And you shall take on the first day the fruit of a goodly tree, date palm fronds, the branch of a leafy tree, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days” (Leviticus 23:40) The Four Species are an etrog, a palm branch, two willow branches and three […]
The name Eucalyptus means “well-covered”; it describes the bud cap (technically called an operculum). This cap forms from modified petals and falls off as the flower opens. There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia. At Ilanot, Israel is a varied arboretum with over 750 species of shrubs and trees, local […]
Many scholars identify the jujube as the biblical atad, mentioned in the “Parable of the trees” in the book of Judges (Judges 9:15) known as Jotham’s Parable (Hebrew: משל יותם), an allegorical story against the monarchy in recent years told on Tu B’shvat as a children’s tale. Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon and the […]
The word for this tree is translated in many different ways. For example, the tree under which King Saul was buried (I Chronicles 10:12) is termed “the great tree” (NIV), “oak” (KJV), and “terebinth” (JND). Of those three terms terebinth is the more correct as one of the species of pistacia. The same tree is […]
The olive is one of the Biblical Seven Species, with which Eretz Yisrael is blessed: “a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, and land of olive trees and honey” (Deuteronomy, 8.8). For thousands of years the olive branch has been used as a sign of peace and goodwill; it is hence […]
There are three kinds of virgins: a virgin woman, virgin soil, and a virgin sycomore. (Babylonian Talmud Nida 8b) The sycomore fig, Ficus sycomorus, is a large tree with a thick trunk and leathery leaves. Because of their size and texture, these may be the kind of fig leaves referred to in Genesis 3:7 (Then […]
Ceratonia siliqua, Carob, is often called the poor man’s bread and it is regarded as a symbol of humility The Carob Tree or Locust (the ´husks´ of which were fed to the swine -Luke15:16), also known as St. John’s Bread (Mark 1:6). Legend says John the Baptist sustained himself on the Carob beans while travelling […]
The name “pomegranate” derives from Latin pomum (apple) and granatus (“seed-apple”).A separate, widespread root for “pomegranate” is the Egyptian and Semitic rmn. Attested in Ancient Egyptian, in Hebrew Rimon, and in Arabic rummân, this root was brought by Arabic to a number of languages. In many European languages, the weapon shell has names similar to […]
The almond, Amygdalus communis, is a medium sized tree with narrow, light green leaves. The almond is highly revered in some cultures. Among the Hebrews, it was a symbol of watchfulness and promise due to its early flowering. The Almond tree is referred to in the Bible as “Shaked”, meaning “hasten”. The word “Luz”, which […]
Ground pine, is a plant whose numbers have been severely reduced by changes to downland farming. It looks at first sight like a tiny pine tree with a reddish four-cornered, hairy and viscid stem and grows to no more than 20 cm high, often branching from the base, making it easily overlooked. The leaves are […]
Opuntia is a genus in the cactus family Cactaceae, the prickly pear cactus (also known as the “cactus pear”). Recent DNA analysis indicates that Opuntia ficus-indica is a crop domesticated from ancestral stock of arborescent, fleshy fruited plants growing in central Mexico. From this center of origin, Opuntia ficus-indica cultivation likely spread through trade amongst […]
