Flowers in Israel – ישראל פרחים תמונות

according to “the Land of Israel”,chapter XXI, a journal of Travels in Palestine (1865) by Reverend Henry Baker Tristram * (1822 – 1906) … Read More

The myrtle, Myrtus communis, is a shrub with evergreen leaves. The small white flowers are produced in the middle of the summer. The fruit is a small, black berry, resembling a blueberry and is edible but seldom eaten. The entire plant contains a fragrant oil. In Hebrew myrtle is called “hadas” and is one of the Four Species (arba’ah minim–ארבעת המינים) used in a special ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

The first reference of the Myrtle in the Bible is in Nehemiah 8:15 in regard to the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles:” . . . and they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem. ‘Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths as it is written.’