Flowers in Israel

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 up to 4 cm long, divided into three linear lobes which, when crushed, smell of pine needles. Its yellow flowers are like those of a miniature red-dotted snapdragon, in ones or twos up the stem and amongst leaves. Ground pine sheds its shiny black seeds close to the parent plant; remarkably, they can remain alive in the soil for up to 50 years. It was a plant well known to Tudor herbalists who probably exploited the resins contained within the leaves.The herb was formerly regarded almost as a specific in gouty and rheumatic affections, the young tops, dried and reduced to powder being employed. It formed an ingredient of the once famous gout remedy, Portland Powder. It was composed of the leaves of Ajuga Chamaepitys, which have a slightly terebinthinate, not unpleasant smell, and a rough taste, which properties are imparted to diluted alcohol, the leaves and tops of Erythraea Centaureum and Teucrium Chamaedrys, and the roots of Gentiana lutea and Aristolochia rotunda, all in equal parts.

Classical Latin has but one word (thus or tus) for all sorts of incense. Libanus, for frankincense, occurs only in the Vulgate.The Romans knew the “ground frankincense” (Pliny). or “ground pine” (Ajuga chamaepitys) as Tus terrae (Tus = frankincense; terrae =ground [Latin], although they called some plant, from its smelling like frankincense, Libanotis, and a kind of Thasian wine, also from its fragrance, Libanios.

Some say it is the most erotic flower, look to the lower part: a red ring, a light tongue and red lips!

Cyclamen, a genus of plants of the Primrose family, received its name kyklaminos meaning “circle” from its bulblike, underground stem. In most of the 20 known species, the flower scape coils downward after pollination. The ripe seed are then shed near the soil. The flowers are produced in whorls of 3-10, each flower on a slender stem 3-12 cm tall, with five united petals; the petals are usually reflexed back 90° to 180° erect above the flower, and vary from white through pink to red-purple, most commonly pale pink.

Cyclamen persicum is the parent species of the cultivated Cyclamen; they are tuberous plants native to the eastern Mediterranean -southern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. They grow in the wild as well in Algeria, Tunisia and on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Karpathos and Crete. It is thought that the cyclamen in North Africa and the Greek islands were introduced by monks or other religious orders for they are often found near old monasteries or cemeteries.In Hebrew it is named Rakefet, רקפת after the Syrian name Rakafta.The popular name for Cyclamen in Arabic is Sabounat al- Raa’i, סבונת אל-רעי, i.e. soap of the shepherd, testifying that the herdsmen recognized the foaming qualities of Saponin in it and used the leaves or tuber as soap in emergency time. Cyclamen contains a toxic saponin, cyclamin, in the tuberous rhizomes. The extreme acridity would be fair warning not to eat it.

Many English farmers called Cyclamen “stag-truffle” or “sowbread” and in the herbals cyclamen were referred to as sow-bread or Panis porcinus; wild pigs were supposedly fond of the tubers and digging them in the ground with their snouts.

Pedanius Dioscorides, an ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist who practised in Rome at the times of Nero in the first century CE. He is famous for writing a five volume book De Materia Medica, not just for the history of herbal science; it also gives us knowledge of the herbs and remedies used by the Greeks, Romans, and other cultures of antiquity. Among the “ciclamino” were put many medical uses: women who wished to end their pregnancies would walk over flowering cyclamens in the belief that this could induce miscarriages, it counteracts any kind of poison, especially sea air, it is good against serpent’s bite and make a man drunk if it was put in his wine. Ointments made with oil or honey were believed good to treat cataracts and weak eyesight, cleanse the skin to cure blemishes and boils, treat sunburn, and make hair grow.Dioscorides suggested its use also as a purgative, antitoxin, skin cleanser, and labor-inducer. When used as a purgative, juice from the tuberous root-stock was applied externally, either over the bowels and bladder region or on the anus. Dioscorides also mentioned its use as an aphrodisiac and that the seeds removed sorcery. Theophrastus (372-287 B.C.) noted that the cyclamen was a symbol of lust because of its use as an aphrodisiac.And no doubt of the folkloric custom preparing real aphrodisiac of the cyclamen; the powder has no sense of smell, colour and taste, and a woman, who wanted to arouse her man, put it in the soup without showing anything, and went quickly to bed.Cyclamen tubers were baked and made into cakes and eaten as a love potion.Powdered cyclamen tubers were and still are used for poisoning fish; if you scatter it on water the fish will float to be able to breathe so that they are an easy catch. The Roman author Pliny also spoke of cyclamens used as a toxic fish bait.

In Israel you will find Cyclamen galore in many places, but special on the Cyclamen Hill (Rakafot Hill) near Kibbutz Galed. From Eliakim Junction on the Fureidis-Yokneam road (near Yokneam), take Route 672 southward to Kibbutz Galed. In 1950 a pine forest was planted and a few years later Cyclamen started to grow, flowering end January- begin February.

And then you can sing the popular Israeli song:CYCLAMENLyrics: Levin KipnisMusic: FolkSinger:Esther OfarimUnder the rock grows like a wonderA very cute CyclamenThe shining sun kisses itAnd crowns her with a pink crownCyclamen, the bird whistlesLook at me for a minuteBeautiful Cyclamen hiding under the rockHiding from every thingBat sheva went out for a walkThe morning was brightShe collected every flower and plantHer mouth full with a songBat sheva singsCyclamen speeds uppeeps out for a momentWho is looking at me here?That’s CyclamenBat sheva gets closer slowlyBat sheva gets off the rockA beautiful Cyclamen on her chestA bird whistles the wind folndles

And this song comes to an end.

******

RAKEFETMitachat lasela tzomachat lefeleRakefet nechmedet me’odVeshemesh mazheret nosheket oteretOteret la keter varodRakefet rakefet tzipor metzaftzefetHatzitzi ach rega elaiRakefet nehederet basela nisteretNisteret minefesh kol chaiYatza’a im haruach rakefet lasuachHaya az haboker bahirKol tzemach kol perach osefet baderechUfia ach zemer vashirBat sheva mezameretrakefet memaheretMetzitza ach rega echadMi zot hanishkefet achen zo rakefetBat sheva nigheshet le’atMisela vageva yoredet Bat shevaRakefet chen al hechazeTzipor metzaftzefet veruach lotefet

Vesof kvar lazemer haze.

Technorati Tags:martha, tour guide, flowers in israel, middle east, holiday in israel, aphrodisiac, cyclamen, סבונת אל-רעי, רקפת, rakefet, rakafot hill, kibbutz galed

Job 30:4 – Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.

Althea derives from the Greek word ‘altho’ to cure’ and the family name Malvaceae is one of the many species of flowering plants that contains the genus Malva, the mallow genus, and its relatives, including the marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis).

The two species that are common in Israel are the Alcea setosa and the Alcea dissecta. The Alcea setosa is widespread in the Mediterranean mountainous open areas. Rare in Judea and Samaria, found quite in the Carmel and Lower-Galilee. In Upper Galilee it is replaced by the Alcea dissecta. This plant is specific near the Banias and the Dan and widespread in the Dan Valley and Upper- Galilee and it stands out alongside the road in spring and the beginning of summer.Althaea is a perennial plant growing to 150-200cm tall, with broad, rounded, palmate lobed leaves with 3-7 lobes and numerous pink flowers, on the erect central stem. The corolla is 15 to 20 cm in diameter.

The Sages wrote about the Altheae in general.Hippocrates (c.460BCE-c.377BCE) Greek physician and father of modern medicine, described the value of althea in the treatment of wounds.Theophrastus (c. 372-286 BC), the successor of Aristotle in the Peripatetic school, reported that it was taken in sweet wine for coughs.Dioscorides (c.40-c.90CE), another Greek physician a few centuries later, prescribed a vinegar infusion as a cure for toothaches and recommended a preparation of the seeds to soothe insect stings.Horace (65-8 BC), Roman poet and satirist, mentions it in reference to his own diet, which he describes as very simple: “Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea, me malvae” (“As for me, olives, endives, and mallows provide sustenance.”)Pliny (23-79) said: ‘Whosoever shall take a spoonful of the Mallows shall that day be free from all diseases that may come to him.’It is cultivated extensively in Europe for medicinal purposes, acting as a demulcent. In 812, Charlemagne enjoined its culture in France.

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714 -1799), a Scottish judge, scholar of language evolution and philosopher, describes his translation of an ancient epigram that demonstrates malva was planted upon the graves of the ancients, stemming from the belief that the dead could feed on such perfect plants.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built a house between 1919 and 1921 in LA called Hollyhock House for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall.The house takes its name from the favorite flower of Aline Barnsdall. At her request, hollyhocks were incorporated into the decorative program of the house, and stylized representations of the flower may be found on the roofline, walls, columns planters and furniture.
And not to forget Marshmallow crème, the real marshmallows, made the traditional way, with powdered marshmallow root, egg whites, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. The traditional recipe of the confection used an extract from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant, the Althaea officinalis, instead of gelatin. The root extract (halawa extract) is also used to make a Middle Eastern snack called halva (חלבה), very popular in Israel and can be found in almost every grocery store.The Arabic word halwa is a generic term for candy, or “sweetmeat” in literal translation and comes from the Arabic word halwa; the root word is hilwa meaning sweet. The root word is also the basis for the Arabic words for “good” (hala’) and “very sweet” (hali). Alkanna tinctoria is also known as orchanet, dyer’s bugloss, Spanish bugloss or bugloss of Languedoc. Its name comes from the Spanish word alcana, from Arabic al-hena, after Henna (Lawsonia inermis lythraceae) . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
Alkanna tuberculata naturally grows in maritime sands, on the shores of the the eastern part of the Mediterranean. It has a dark red root of blackish appearance externally but inside showing a blue-red meat, surrounding a whitish core.

A red dye is obtained from the roots called Alkannin and used today as a food colouring. It is used by pharmacists as well as in perfumes and to stain wood or marble. It can make wood look like rosewood or mahogany. The dye is also used in thermometers and as a litmus to test for acids and alkalines.

Alkannin is used in folk medicine where it is claimed to possess, among other properties, wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity. Alkannin is a pharmaceutical substance with a wide spectrum of biological properties.

The flora of Israel is mentioned many times in the Bible. The Bible is full with illustrations, indicating examples from agriculture and natural vegetation.
King Solomon in Eccelestiastes (2,5-6) described his wealth, he said: “I made me gardens and orchards, and planted trees in them of all kind of fruits. I made myself pools of water to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees.” And in the Song of Songs (2:1–2) the shepherd lover sings to his bride: “I am the rose of Sharon (most probably the Sharon tulip – Tulipa agenensis subsp. sharonensis), and the lily of the valleys (probably Narcissus tazetta). As the lily among thorns (Lilium candidum), so is my love among the daughters.”

The Song of Songs is a poem about love. The main speakers are a man, King Solomon, who describes himself as a shepherd, a man whose job is to look after sheep and the woman, whom he loves, is called ‘the Shulamite’.Solomon describes the start of spring (Song of Songs 2:10–13):My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling,my beautiful one, come with me.See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

H.B.Tristram (Nat. Hist. of the Bible, 1882) says: ” Certainly if, in the wondrous richness of bloom which characterizes the land of Israel in spring, any one plant can claim pre-eminence, it is the anemone, the most natural flower for our Lord to pluck and seize upon as an illustration, whether walking in the fields or sitting on the hill-side.”

Israel has probably been one of the most travelled lands since antiquity. Traversed by travelers, explorers, conquerors, crusaders and pilgrims, many native Israeli plants have been transferred to Europe and introduced into cultivation. Examples are Anemone coronaria, Ranunculus asiaticus, Cyclamen persicum, Hyacinthus orientalis, Narcissus tazetta, Lilium candidum and several tulips. Those are some of the species that were relatively easy to domesticate.

Anemones, tulips, Asiatic ranunculi, and poppies, in that order, which spans the whole of spring, are the red showy flowers or the floral glories of Israel.
M. Zohary believes these to be the spring flowers (Heb. nitzanim) of Song of Songs 2:12.” These flowers have a similar appearance in shape and colour and from a distance they may easily be confused.

Anemone (Anemone coronaria) is traditionally identified as the `lily of the field’. It is a widespread herbaceous perennial plant growing to 20-40 cm tall (rarely to 60 cm), with a basal rosette of a few leaves, the leaves with three leaflets, each leaflet deeply lobed. The flowers are borne singly on a tall stem with a whorl of small leaves just below the flower; the flower is 3-8 cm diameter, with 5-8 red, white or blue petal-like sepals. Recent research in Israel has shown that there is a genetic basis for this variation which explains for the dominance of a certain colour in a particular region. Around Jerusalem, for instance, the red shape is more frequent than the blue, while on the basalt slopes north the Sea of Galilee the hillside are speckled with the blue and white flowers.
The petals of the Anemone are usually nectariferous near the base, and in Ranunculus there is a flap of tissue in this position, a presence of reflexed sepals. The Asiatic Ranunculus, or buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus), is also red-flowered.
Tulipa agenensis, Tulipa Montana (mountain tulip) and Tulipa Sharonensis.Song of Solomon 2:2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. A tulip is a flower with 5 petals, all intertwining, and without which, it would not make up a complete flower.Its narrow, grey-green leaves are usually crinkled along the edges.

Corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas, Papaver subpiriforme etc.) are annuals inhabiting disturbed ground and their seeds are in capsules, unlike the anemone and ranunculus, which are perennials and have their seeds in separate nutlets. Pheasant’s eye (Adonis cupaniana, A. aleppica) are also annuals with scarlet flowers, but with nutlets like the anemone.

The winter solstice (from Latin sol (sun) + stet (standing) is the date of the shortest day, when the sun appears to be at its most southerly. Both hunter-gatherers and farming communities relied on stored food to see them through the long winters, for many cultures the return of the longer days meant that the plenty of spring was approaching and a reason to celebrate.

The ancients were certainly aware of the movement of the sun. The Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah (also Chanukkah), is also linked to the solstice, being held on the 25th Kislev, three days before the new moon closest to the solstice. The celebration commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus Epiphanes and the rededication of the Temple.

The ancient Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of Osiris on December 21st with his symbolic burial and rebirth as an infant at midnight, the priests bringing the image of a child out of his ‘burial chamber’. The ancient Egyptians considered the palm tree to symbolize resurrection. They decorated their homes with its branches during the winter solstice.The ancient Greeks’ celebration followed the Egyptian model, with somewhat more in the way of bloodshed, a man being torn apart by women, representing the end of the harvest god Dionysos, with the promise of rebirth through the offspring of one of the women. The human sacrifice was later replaced with a goat, the women becoming mourners.Rome originally had several celebrations near this time, including the Saturnalia on 17th December. By the year 50 BCE, the festival ran until the 23rd. This was supplemented by many other feasts, including the birth of gods and demigods such as Mithras, Apollo and Hercules. These different feasts were later merged by the Emperor Aurelian into the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun (Dies Natalis Invicti Solis), celebrated on 25th December.

The Druids held rituals in their sacred groves and performed fertility rites involving mistletoe, Germanic tribes burned their Yule logs and decorated their homes with evergreens, and Scandanavians lit bonfires and held vigils.. Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life. The trees joined holly, mistletoe, the wassail bowl and the Yule log as symbols of the season. All predated Christianity. Many of these rituals are now associated with the ‘Christian’ festival we know as Christmas, indeed the date was chosen by the Roman church when they ‘Christianised’ the festival of Saturnalia.Saturnalia was the feast at which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn, which took place on 17 December. Over the years, it expanded to a whole week, up to 23 December. The Romans often cut down evergreens and decorated their “trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a fertility god]. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god” and decorated them to pay homage to Saturn, the god of farming. The Romans also practiced many traditions similar to Christmas; though the “Christmas tree” itself is a later development in the celebration of Christmas. In the Roman calendar the Winter Solstice fell in this period; in imperial times that event was celebrated in honour of Sol Invictus and put on 25 December by emperor Aurelian in 274, so after the Saturnalia.

There is one theory that says that the Aleppo pine is the original Christmas tree. The Aleppo pine, also known as Jerusalem pine, is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a small to medium-size tree, reaching 15-25 m tall. The leaves (‘needles’) are in pairs, very slender, mostly 6-10 cm long, The cones are narrow conic, 5-10 cm long and 2-3 cm broad at the base when closed, green at first, ripening glossy red-brown when 24 months old.

Merry ChristmasVrolijk kerstfeest

חג שמח

Ammi visnaga is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae, a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives.
Ammi visnaga is a bitter, aromatic plant that is native to the Mediterranean area of North Africa and the Middle East. The plant grows erect to a height of about 1 meter by 0.5 meters wide and bears wispy leaves, the lower leaves 1-2-pinnate; upper leaves 2-3(4)-pinnate; all leaves with linear to filiform (thread-like) segments. This plant has clusters of small white scented hermaphrodite flowers, pollinated by Insects. and tiny fruits, which are picked and dried and used in herbal medicines.This plant is self fertile, tastes like thyme, and the leaves are chewed for their flavor in some countries.

This herb is one of the oldest herbs cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. The seeds are harvested in late summer before they have fully ripened and are dried for later use.

They contain a fatty oil that includes the substance ‘khellin’ (khellin, has vasodilator and bronchodilator properties). The seeds of the Ammi visgana are diuretic and lithotripic and used in the treatment of asthma, angina, coronary arteriosclerosis and kidney stones. This traditional Arab remedy was mentioned in the Ebers papyrus (1500 BCE). In 700 BC the Indian physician Charaka writes Charaka Samhita which details over 350 herbal medicines including Ammi visnaga.

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 only one left living besides Abimelech, escapes to Mount Gerizim, near Shechem and tells what has come to be known as Jotham’s Parable (Judges 9: 7-21), the story of “the trees who went forth to anoint a king over them.” The trees first appeal to the olive, ‘Be our king’ the latter refuses to be a king, asking, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’ The fig also refused, saying, “Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit to wave over the trees?” Likewise the vine: “Shall I leave my new wine which cheers God and men to wave over you?” Finally all the trees said to the Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi, Hebrew: Atad, אטד), ‘Come and be our king’ and the Jujube, with nothing to offer but its shadow, agrees to reign, but not without making a thinly-veiled threat: ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the Jujube (Atad) and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’ Judg. 9:15).

The olive, fig, vine and jujube in the parable stand for different kinds of people. The good fruits are symbols of good works. The jujube is the type of someone who does not do good uses or only does them for show and for selfish gain. The olive, fig and vine are modest and wish only to serve, but selfishness loves to rule and to be served. Fire coming out of the jujube means the burning of selfish desires. The cedar which the fire destroys stands for rational understanding. Someone who is proud or angry cannot be wise.

Yotam, the teller of the parable, is using the metaphor of the the atad to ridicule his older brother, Abimelech, who has unjustly annointed himself king, surrounded himself with yesmen and murdered all his brothers save for Yotam.

The jujube tree is common in Samaria. It can grow very large, easily providing shade for these small trees. The wild jujube growing in Israel is apparently of Sudanian origin. It is a broad-crowned, spiny tree with intertwined branches that reach nearly to ground level. Its leaves are smooth and ovate. The yellowish fruits are round in shape. They are edible, not unusual tasty and it is very much the poor relative of the olive, fig and vine, mentioned in the parable. In the past jujube fruits were commonly sold in the marketplace. In the Arava Valley, the tree is usually evergreen, but in the north it is deciduous and loses its leaves in the cold winter. The jujube grows in wet desert habitats and in riverbeds with deep soil that can store water throughout the summer. In the region between Hatzeva and Jericho, jujube is the second most common tree, after the acacia.

Its wide spreading root-system is well-known for leaching all nourishments from the soil. A farmer who wants his orchard to succeed must first uproot every jujube in the area, small saplings as well as full-grown trees. Ziziphus spina-christi is one of several candidates for Jesus’ crown of thorns, hence its name: “They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him” (Mark 15:17).

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 psenes) that is propagated inside the fruits (syconia) of male trees called capri figs. Pollination of edible figs requires fig wasps to transport pollen from Capri fig flowers. The Ficus carica is native to the region between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Evidently many ancient civilizations were aware of the fact that Ficus carica required pollination in order to produce edible, seed-bearing fruits, a process called caprification. Aristotle (384-322BCE) described fig wasps that came out of Capri figs and penetrated the unripe female fig fruits, thus fertilizing them.

Theophrastus of Eresos (371-287 BCE) was essentially the first botanical taxonomist and some 2,300 years ago he described in details on fig caprification. In order to prevent the abortion of their embryo cultivar figs, the farmers arranged that ripe wild figs were hung in orchards of the cultivars at embryo stage, or even went so far as to interplant the early, intermediate and late cultivars (you get three crops per annum in the Mediterranean) with the appropriate wild variety. They were aware of the galls which develop in the inedible or goat-fig and were aware of the insect which came out of the ripe fruit and entered the embryo fruit, allowing it to develop to an edible fig. The flower of a fig of course, is very unusual in that it is completely enclosed within the fig itself and never seen, male flowers at the top and female below. It isfertilised by a tiny wasp which leaves the ripe fig and enters the embryo fig via a minute hole at the top, which is hidden by overlapping scales. Each species of fig has developed a symbiosis with a different wasp over the last 100 million years.

Theophrastus of Eresos (371-287 BCE) was essentially the first botanical taxonomist and some 2,300 years ago he described in details on fig caprification. In order to prevent the abortion of their embryo cultivar figs, the farmers arranged that ripe wild figs were hung in orchards of the cultivars at embryo stage, or even went so far as to interplant the early, intermediate and late cultivars (you get three crops per annum in the Mediterranean) with the appropriate wild variety. They were aware of the galls which develop in the inedible or goat-fig and were aware of the insect which came out of the ripe fruit and entered the embryo fruit, allowing it to develop to an edible fig. The flower of a fig of course, is very unusual in that it is completely enclosed within the fig itself and never seen, male flowers at the top and female below. It is fertilised by a tiny wasp which leaves the ripe fig and enters the embryo fig via a minute hole at the top, which is hidden by overlapping scales. Each species of fig has developed a symbiosis with a different wasp over the last 100 million years.

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 called “balsam and “mulberry”. Balsem may be used as a name because of a resin extracted from the tree. Several plants are referred to as balsam. Balsem, oak, mulberry and terebinth are not even superficially similar and are unrelated.

There are two species of “terebinth” in the Middle East, “the Atlantic pistacia” (Pistacia atlantica) and the “Palestine pistacia” (Pistacia palaestina; Hebrew: elah). The terebinth tree continues to be abundant in the Middle East, growing even in desert areas. The Atlantic Pistacia is the larger one and therefore assumed to be the one referred to in the Scriptures. The trees reach a very large size and can live up to one thousand years. The Atlantic Pistacia is the largest tree in Israel in recent history; a single tree can grow as much as 12 meters high, can yield up to 2 kilograms of resin (turpentine). The terebinth develops a very deep and extensive root system and therefore remains green even in years of drought. It often sprouts from the stump after being cut, as noted in Isaiah (6:13).Because of it’s large size and great age, pistacia trees were well-known landmarks and were used as memorials for the dead.

A new project to record all sites in which sacred or holy trees are found was begun in 1997 by Rotem. A holy tree is a tree or small group of trees adjacent to prayer or holy burial sites. These trees or groups of trees are usually very large and old and are often connected to the graves of sheikhs. It is estimated that there are approximately 1000 holy trees in Israel. The protection of these sites is important for the cultural heritage of Israel, for environmental protection and for ecological and historical research.

As often in the Scripture, great trees are associated with great men. Gideon was by a large pistacia when he was called by God (Judges 6:11). David faced Goliath in the Valley of the Pistacias (I Samuel 17:2) (elah in Hebrew). Absalom, great in his own eyes, his head was trapped in a large pistacia (II Samuel 18: 9).

Colchicum derives from Colchis, an ancient region on the Black Sea south of the Caucasus Mountains, now mostly the western part of Georgia.

Steven’s Meadow saffron, in Hebrew: Stavanit HaYoreh,סתוונית היורה (Hayoreh = first rain in season), florescence in October, November and December. It is a geophyte that belongs to the Lily family (Liliaceae) along with the Lilies, Tulips, and Hyacinths. The Spring Flowering Crocus, in contrast, is a member of the Iris Family (Iridaceae) along with the Iris and Gladiolus.

Native to West Asia and part of the Mediterranean coast, its natural environment is hard rock outcrops in the Mediterranean territory. The Colchicum stevenii is just one species of about 70 in the genus Colchicum. The leaves (linear) and flower appear the same time. The flower is 4-6 cm. large and consists of 6 petals, 6 anthers and three slightly twisted styles tipped with an inconspicuous yellow tipped stigma. In most cases they grow in bundles of 2-11 flowers.

Colchicum species contain Colchicine, originally used to treat rheumatic complaints and especially gout, it was also prescribed for its cathartic and emetic effects. Its present medicinal use is mainly in the treatment of gout; as well, it is being investigated for its potential use as an anti-cancer drug.

Ricinus is the classical Latin name for this plant and also the Latin name for tick. The seeds of this plant resemble the bodies of ticks, and Linnaeus used this feature as a basis for the genus name of this plant. Communis is Latin for common or general. The Castor-Oil Plant is the only member of the genus Ricinus and it has no immediate relatives and is native only to Africa. The seed is also called Castor bean, even though it is not a bean.

The flowers of the Castor-Oil Plant are monoecious, meaning having both the male and female reproductive organs on the same plant and appear in clusters, with the male white blossoms below and the pink female blossoms above.
The flowers are relatively unimposing, lack petals and rely on the wind for pollination. Male flowers senesce shortly after shedding their pollen, while the female flowers develop capsules covered with soft spines. The capsules open at maturity, revealing 3 big seeds that are a mosaic of muted black, gray, brown, yellow-brown, maroon and white colors. It is the seeds of the Castor-Oil plants that have historically, and currently, been of interest. About 50% of the weight of the seeds is made of Castor Oil (שמן קיק).

Castor oil and its by-products have applications in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, pharmaceuticals and perfumes. In 1909 Castrol (that takes its name from castor oil), originally named the Wakefield Oil Company, began production of a new automotive lubricant named “Castrol” (a contraction of castor oil, from which it was made).

Castor-Oil plant was known to Herodotus (484 BC – ca.425 BC), who calls it Kiki, and states: The Egyptians who live in the marshes use for the anointing of their bodies an oil made from the fruit of the sillicyprium, which is known among them by the name of “kiki.” To obtain this they plant the sillicyprium (which grows wild in Greece) along the banks of the rivers and by the sides of the lakes, where it produces fruit in great abundance, but with a very disagreeable smell. This fruit is gathered, and then bruised and pressed, or else boiled down after roasting: the liquid which comes from it is collected and is found to be unctuous, and as well suited as olive-oil for lamps, only that it gives out an unpleasant odour.

The Castor-Oil plant is in the Book of Jonah (Jonah 4:6,7,9,10): “Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort…” The Talmudists make mention of the “oil of kik”, which Resh Lakish (3rd century) says is the “kikajon” of Jonah and which is the same that the Arabians call “alcheroa” or “alcherva”,

Strabo (63/64 BCE-c.24CE) also mentions in rural Egypt the use of oil from a plant called kiki. (The Geography of Strabo, Book XVII Chapter 2): …and kiki is a kind of fruit sown in the fields, from which oil is pressed, which is used not only in lamps by almost all the people in the country, but also for anointing the body by the poorer classes and those who do the heavier labour, both men and women.

Theophrastus (370-285 BCE), and Dioscorides (c.40-c.90), in the first century, describe the plant and Pliny (23-79) also speaks of it as a drastic purgative.

Nigella is probably native to western
Asia where it grows both wild and cultivated. Nearly all names of nigella contain an element of black: in Arabic kamun aswad, “Al-habbat ul Sawda”; in German Schwarzkümmel; in Latin Nigella (niger). In some English sources Nigella arvensis is called field black cumin (also known as wild black cumin, oat or horse black cumin), and grows just 30-45 cm. tall. Its upright, hairless stem boasts bush-like branches with alternating serrated leaves and apical blossoms bearing a light-blue five-leaved flower cup rimmed with greenish strips. The three to five leaves of the seed capsule reach halfway up the stem and are long with little horns. The deep black, sharp-cornered seed grains are used as a spice, they have a rough surface and an oily white interior. They are roughly triangulate, 1 1/2 – 3 mm. long and similar to onion seeds. Nigella seeds have little aroma, but when ground or chewed they develop a vaguely oregano-like scent. The taste is fragrant and slightly bitter.

Nigella has been traced back more than 3,000 years to the kingdom of the Assyrians and ancient Egyptians and used since antiquity by Asian herbalists and pharmacists. A bottle of black cumin oil was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, The Romans used it for culinary purposes; in the Middle East nigella is added to bread dough and in Israel it becomes more and more popular.

The earliest written reference to black cumin is found in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 28: 25, 27).

25.When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field. Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.
Easton’s bible dictionary clarifies that the Hebrew word for black cumin, qetsach, keh’-tsakh, kezah, refers to without doubt Nigella sativa.

Pliny the Elder (23-79) crushed black seeds, mixed them with vinegar and honey, and applied the paste to snake bites and scorpion stings.

Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40-90) used black cumin seeds to treat headaches and toothaches.

Narrated Abu Huraira (d.678): I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “There is healing in Black Cumin for all diseases except death.” The usage and popularity of black seed is widely known as a “remedy of the Prophet”. The Prophet’s Medicine” is a collection of Hadith (collection of Islamic traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad) that instruct Muslims on the subject of sickness or medical treatment.

The seeds are rich in sterols, especially beta-sitosterol, which is known to have anti carcinogenic activity. The seeds are also known to repel certain insects and can be used in the same way as mothballs.

The Narcissus tazetta is believed to be the oldest cultivated narcissus, as it was known in ancient Egypt and Greece. Its native is unknown and it is spread throughout the Mediterranean region, as far eastwards as China. It is a bulbous perennial, with broad, strap-shaped, gray-green leaves. The fragrant blooms have white petals and yellow coronas. Multiple blossoms appear on leafless stems. It blooms in late autumn and winter.

The flower is named after Narcissus in Greek myths. Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a stream. He stayed transfixed by the stream and the gods thought he would die of starvation so they changed him into the flower to stay there forever. In another myth it is the narcissus that lured Pesephone to her fate into the underworld. To this day narcissus bow their heads in shame of their role in Hades’ plan and in a sympathetic grief with Demeter.Narcissi were given to Venus for their beauty and scent. She bathed in the flowers before entering and winning a beauty competition against Juno and Diana, judged by Paris.

Pliny describes it as Narce narcissum dictum, non a fabuloso puero, ‘named Narcissus from Narce, not from the fabulous boy.’

In Greek it is called Drakakia (Tear Droplets) because the flowers of many species of narcissi droop mournfully, it was long thought to be an omen of death, but simultaneously, they can stand for wisdom (Solomon’s bride, the personification of Wisdom), hope and joy. Solomon’s bride says that she is “the Rose of Sharon” (which is to say, she is a daffodil), she is naming herself Ha’bazlith or Bazlith (Bazluth), meaning “She is Pealing,” or she has many layers (literally to the layers of an onion-like flower bulb). The children of Bazlith were among the Nethinim who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah7:54, Ezra2:52). Some have supposed the Narcissus tazetta, as the flower Solomon had in mind as Rose of Sharon.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the narcissus (Havatzelet), it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. (Isaiah 35:1-2)

Havatzelet is not a rose; “The rose of Sharon” (Song of Songs 2:1-2) is a mistranslation.

“I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters”. Song of Songs 2:1-2

Three flowers are mentioned by name in the Bible: the SHOSHAN or SHOSHANNA (lily or rose), SHOSHANAT HA’EMAKIM (rose of the valleys) and HAVATZELET HA’SHARON (rose or lily of the Sharon).
It is impossible that the Havatzelet or the Shoshan was a rose, for the rose was not found in Israel in Biblical times. The rose of Sharon (Song 2:1) is a mistranslation: Havatzelet is an onion-like flower bulb.

Which one is likely to have been the “Havatzelet” from the Bible? What is the exact identity of the two flowers mentioned herein?The Rose of Sharon, one name by different people for different plants: Hibiscus syriacus, Hypericum calycinum, Lilium candidum, Pancratium maritimum, Narcissus tazetta, Tulipa Montana and Tulipa sharonensis.

Some people think that Solomon’s rose of Sharon is a tulip, either Tulipa montana, common in the mountainous regions of Syria and Lebanon, or its close relative, Tulipa sharonensis, found in sandy places on the Sharon coastal plain. Some have supposed the Narcissus tazetta, as the flower Solomon had in mind as Rose of Sharon.

Somebody in the horticultural world decided to name the Hibiscus syriacus, a deciduous flowering shrub native to east Asia, Rose of Sharon.British and Australian English referred to Hypericum calycinum, an evergreen flowering shrub native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia as “Rose of Sharon”.

It is also generally accepted that this flower is identified with the Pancratium maritimum — a bulbous plant with white, highly scented flowers which blooms at the end of summer in the coastal lowland.And others suggested that perhaps the Lilium candidum, known as the Madonna Lily, may be the “lily” referred to in Song of Songs 6:2: My beloved is gone down to his garden,to the beds of spices,to feed in the gardens,

and to gather lilies.

According to the Brockhaus Encyclopedia, the lilium of the Old Testament is none other than the Iris pseudacorus.

What are you “Rose of Sharon”?

Technorati Tags:martha, tour guide, israel, photography, pictures, flowers, middle east, bible, bloemen, rose, middellandse zee, balsem, lily of the valley

“And the two doors [of theTemple] were of cypress wood” (1 Kings 6:34)

The Phoenicians who acted as intermediaries on the Cypress’ journey from the Himalayas carried with it the association of eternal life, at odds with the death association. They planted the tree in Cyprus from whence it or the island got its name. A description of the site of origin of Cupressus was provided as well by the Roman philosopher Plinius: “cypress trees sprout spontaneously on Mt. Ida on the island of Crete, whenever the soil there is disturbed”.
The species was sometimes separated into two varieties, the pyramidalis, which has a columnar or narrowly conical shape, and the horizontalis in which the branches are horizontal. The species name sempervirens comes from the Latin for “evergreen”. Cupressus sempervirens bears both serotinous and nonserotinous cones. Serotinous cones are alive and can live for at least 20 years. The production of serotinous cones is one of the adaptations of conifers to frequent fires. The cypress is monoecious, having both the male and female reproductive organs in the same individual and is wind pollinated. Because the branches of the pyramidalis cypress closely hug the vertical trunk and the tree resembles a candle, it is extensively planted in and around cemeteries. In Muslim graveyards in northern Israel the Cupressus sempervirens is the leading cemetery tree. The tradition of planting cypress trees in cemeteries stems from the sacred association of these trees with the Roman god Pluto, who is the ruler of the underworld. The Egyptians associated cypress with death, and also connected cypress to the Egyptian beliefs of the afterlife. They used its fragrant wood for preservative properties, and in mummification and ascensions processes. A Byzantine legend is of cypress being one of the three symbolic trees that grow at the gates of the ‘Symbolic garden’, alongside the cedar wood tree and the pine, all said to teach us moderation.

We can read many times about the cypress or brosh in the Bible: Sa2 6:5, Kg1 5:8, Kg1 5:10, Kg1 6:15, Kg1 6:34, Kg1 9:11, etc., a lofty tree (Isa 55:13) growing on Lebanon (Isa 37:24). Its wood was used in making musical instruments and doors of houses, and for ceilings (Ch2 3:5), the decks of ships (Eze 27:5), floorings and spear-shafts (Nah 2:3). The precise kind of tree meant by a luxuriant cypress (Hos 14:8) is uncertain. Some regard it as the Cupressus sempervirens; others Pinus halepensis; while others think that the Pinus pinea is probably meant. During historical times, Cupressus sempervirens was so widely used in the East Mediterranean countries that it reached the brink of extinction. Nowadays it is planted on a large scale as an ornamental plant as a windbreak and as a forest tree. Practically, all trees found today in Israel west of the Jordan River have been planted by man.

In Israel the Urginea maritime grows in the Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, and Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon. They grow only in natural habitats.

The Galilee have been devastated by fire and what was left were the charred trunks of pine trees and some remains of bushes. Amid this desolation are rising gleaming white, curving spikes of sea squills. It is a fantastic miracle of life after death. This perennial monocotyledon grows from enormous bulbs (10-15 cm), frequently white, or red and weighing more than 1 kg. It has a strange life cycle: It starts producing a cluster of leaves in late Autumn which remain until the end of Spring. The leaves are basal, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 10-35 x 2-7 cm, glabrous and margin smooth. In the hot and dry months of May and June the leaves dry up, and in August the bulb shoot up a tall flowering stem with flowers from the end of August till the end of October. Blossoming is on a long leafless stem reaching 60 cm to 1.5 m high and carrying small flowers from the middle upwards. The star shaped flower is made up of 6 petals and when the flower expires, the petals do not fall but close up again and resume a cylindrical structure similar to the buds. The closed petals protect the growing fruit capsule. When the fruit is ripe it splits open to release its black winged seeds. There are about 25 seed per capsule. It is one of the ‘purest’ of the white flowers. Fruits are produced by the end of October. Thus the leaves and
the flowers are never seen together.

The Egyptians call the plant “Ein Sit”, the god who resists the sun, since the plant only blooms in autumn. According to tradition, Urginea maritima is planted in the vicinity of Arab graves, to protect them. The use of white flowers as cemeteries plants reflects an old European influence and almost the same species are used. Most of the trees and shrubs that are planted in Muslim cemeteries in Israel have the same use in ancient as well in modern European cultures. Today the most common plants in new cemeteries are Narcissus tazetta and Urginea maritima. Aromatic herbs (especially Salvia fruticosa and Rosmarinus officinalis) and Cupressus sempervirens are two other groups of cemetery plants. The Bedouin use the bulb of the plant to make poison to kill mice and they believe that whenever there is an abundance of Urginea maritima flowers, there will be a rainy winter.

The ancient Romans and Greeks called
the Sea squills Scilla. They were often mentioned as a medicine. Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and botanist, wrote in about 340 BC of onions (Allium), anemones, crocus, cyclamen, grape hyacinths (Muscari), lilies, narcissus, and squills (Scilla).

The plant has been subjected to severe uprooting and collection for pharmaceutical companies. What was used are the dried fleshy scales of the bulb. The scales are odourless or with a slight odour, and a mucilagenous, bitter acrid and disagreable taste. The red bulb contains the rat poison “scilliroside”, whilst the white bulb is used as a cardiotonic. The most important medical property of the Urginea maritime is its ability to stimulate heart activity. Oxymel of Urginea maritime, used for coughs, was invented by Pythagoras (c.582-c.507 BCE). Pythagoras highly esteemed the medicinal properties of the sea onion, and he is said to have written an entire volume on the subject.
It is considered to be the Sea Onion referred to by Homer (9th Century BCE). Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) was acquainted with the Urginea maritime. Dioscorides (c.40-90 CE) describes the different varieties of the bulb and the method of making vinegar of it.

Calotropis procera, Sodom’s apple (Hebrew: ptilat hamidbar) grows in the hot oases around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley regions. It is a soft-wooded, evergreen perennial shrub and is not a ‘human, friendly’ plant. In Israel, the native pollinators are carpenter bees (Xylocopa).Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian living in the Roman period, was the first to mention the so-called Sodom-apple.He describes the destruction of Sodom, which was wiped of the map by God as punishment for the evil ways or its inhabitants (Genesis 18:16-20:29). Josephus mentions that in his day the remains of the destruction can still be seen: ‘shadows of the cities are still to be seen, as well as the ashes growing in their fruits, which fruits have a colour as if they were fit to be eaten, but if you pluck them with your hands they dissolve into smoke and ashes.'(Josephus, Jewish Wars, Book IV,8:4).Edward Robinson, who traveled in Palestine in 1838, wrote in his book Biblical Researches in Palestine and Adjacent Countries: “The fruit resembles externally a large, smooth apple, or orange, hanging in clusters of three or four together, and when ripe is of a yellow color. It was now fair and delicious to the eye and soft to the touch; but on being pressed or struck, it explodes with a puff, like a bladder or puff-ball, leaving in the hand only the shreds of the thin rind and a few fibers. It is indeed filled chiefly with air, which gives it the round form; while in the center a small slender pod runs through it which contains a small quantity of fine silk, which the Arabs collect and twist into matches for their guns.”

Medicinally, the acrid sap latex is used to treat boils, infected wounds and other skin problems in people, and to treat parasitic skin infestations in animals. [The cheese-makers in Benin, country located in western Africa (formerly called Dahomey) use the sap from Calotropis procera as the agent to curdle milk.] It also yields ash for making gunpowder, and extremely strong fiber, which may not be used as wicks for the Sabbath lamps as mentioned in the Mishna (Shabbat 2:1, ‘Bemeh madlikin’).

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, and the myrtle and the oil-tree (Isaiah 41:19).
The Acacia tortilis, the umbrella thorn acacia is a spiny, desert tree of Sudanian origin that grows in Israel in the hot areas of the Judean Desert and the eastern Negev along with the spiraled species (Acacia raddiana). The umbrella thorn grows to a heights between 4 to 7 metres tall in areas with annual rainfall as low as 40 mm and as much as 1200 mm, with dry seasons of 1-12 months. It has a multiple of not very straight trunks growing at an angle out of the base of the tree, which produce a foliage crown resembling an umbrella with a flattened top. The spines are in pairs, some short and hooked up to 5mm long, mixed with long straight spines. The presence of these two types of thorns distinguishes the umbrella thorn acacia from other acacias. Leaves are 1-7 cm long, with 2-14 pinnae each with 6-22 pairs of leaflets. The young branches, leaves and fruits are hairy. It flowers in April through December and the flowers are white to pale yellow, which later develop into bunches of spirally twisted, indehiscent pods (not opening spontaneously at maturity to release seeds). The pods contain several hard seeds, high in crude protein (38%) and phosphorus so very nutritious. The pods are eaten by wild and domestic animals, and sometimes by man, they have 12-19% protein content. The foliage is also palatable and provides food and shade for animals, insects live in the foliage, and insect-feeding birds build nests in its branches. The tree’s roots spread out, quite often, beyond the span of the tree’s foliage, and they follow the flow of any nearby water, sinking to about five feet beneath the ground.
The Arava acacias, as products of an arid climate, are very sensitive to any change in the flow of water in their riverbed environment. Tracks left by even one ATV can cause the death of a century-old acacia. Depending on the area in which the tree is situated, the dying process can continue for many years. A tree that does not get enough water produces increasingly fewer leaves, flowers and fruit. The animal life that depends upon the tree is then reduced accordingly, eventually resulting in the deaths of large numbers of animals.Any road-building that involves detouring the riverbed, however slightly, must be carefully engineered. Additional water-conducting channels beneath roads must be planned to avoid riverbed blockage. In the absence of these considerations, the entire landscape and ecology of the Arava could change, spelling disaster for the entire region.
The Acacia raddiana, Spiraled acacia (Hebrew: Shitah selilanit, שיטה סלילנית ) has a rather vertical trunk, out of which secondary branches grow, producing an irregular foliage crown. The Acacia raddiana flowers in Israel between June and December.

The Acacia tortillis, the Shittim from the Bible, is presumed as being the wood from which the Biblical Ark of the Tabernacle was made: “And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand” (Deuteronomy 10:3).The ark built for the Tabernacle was about 2.9 feet long. Certainly the height of these trees would not enable 220 inch planks of wood to be cut out of the trunks. So we must assume that the species of acacia trees around the Sinai desert in 1552-1551 BC were much taller than they are today.The ark was the first piece of furniture built for the Tabernacle. Shittim wood is a beautiful orange-colored wood, quite heavy and close grained. As it ages, this wood will darken. It is quite insect-resistant.

Exodus 25:10-13 “Have them make a chest of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high [That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide and high]. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.”

The book of Numbers 33:49 does record that the Israelites camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim. “Abel Shittim” is translated “meadow of the acacias.”Shittim Acacias, also called “Abel-shittim”, is a plain or valley in the land of Moab, where the Israelites were encamped after their two victories over Sihon and Og, at the close of their desert wanderings, and from which Joshua sent forth two spies: “And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. (Jos 2:1).Shittim is also mentioned in Hosea 5.2; Joel 3.18; and Micah 6.5).The shittah tree is mentioned only once in the Bible: Isaiah 41:19 “I will put in the desert the cedar and the shittah tree, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together.” There are only three species of Cedars in the world: the Lebanon cedar, the Deodar of the Himalayas and theMount Atlas Cedar. The Lebanon cedar is originally native to Asia Minor. This tree does not grow wild in Israel and large forests of Lebanon cedars of ancient days no longer exist. But because of its beauty and history the Lebanon cedar has been planted throughout the world. The Lebanon Cedar is a mountain tree that grows in rocky soils at heights of about 1800m. The Lebanon cedar doesn’t flower until it is 25-30 years old. The flowers or catkins are unisexual, with both male and female flowers on the same tree. The 5 cm catkins are reddish in color and the cones become 10-12 cm long and stand up straight on the branch.Over the centuries, Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians made expedition to Mount Lebanon for timber or extracted tributes of wood from the coastal cities of Canaan-Phoenicia. The Phoenicians built their trade ship and military fleets from Cedar wood as well as the roofs of their temples, houses and doorsills. Kings of neighboring and distant countries asked for this wood to build their religious and civil constructs; the most famous of which are the temple of Jerusalem and David’s and Solomon’s Palaces:“So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David” (Chronicles I 22:2-4). The Cedar is mentioned 75 times in the Bible, and all are included in the Old Testament -Torah.

The cedar of Lebanon is also the main tool in the oldest epic ever written by man -The Epic of Gilgamesh- a story from Mesopotamia, which dates back 4.700 years ago. The Epic of Gilgamesh’s Forest Journey tells the story of Gilgamesh’s need for timber to finish his magnificent city. He turned his attention on the forest near southern Mesopotamia, which was protected by the deity Enlil. Enlil had forecast that once humans entered the forest, they would destroy all the trees, the ‘divine beauty’. A great battle broke out between the demigod guarding the forest and the humans. Human greed won and the forest was completely stripped of its trees, leaving nothing but bare ground. The Scriptures by Ezekiel (31:1-18) illustrate beautifully how these lofty kings of the forest were used by prophet orators to symbolize and typify worldly might, power, and glory. *Thus one obtains a fair idea of the crowning insolence of Sennacherib(705BCE-681BCE), the invader, when he boasted in the year 700 B.C.: “With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of its forests. Nebuchadnezzar (605BCE-562BCE) boasted on a cuneiform, inscription: “I brought for building, mighty cedars, which I cut down with my pure hands on Mount Lebanon”. Prized for its fragrance and durability, the length of the great logs made cedar wood especially desirable.The Egyptians used cedar resin for mummification, and pitch was extracted from these trees for waterproofing and caulking. In the second century CE the Roman Emperor Hadrian (76CE-138CE) attempted to protect the forest with boundary markers, most carved into living rock, others in the form of separate engraved stones. In the centuries after Hadrian, Lebanon’s trees were used extensively as fuel, especially for lime burning kilns. In the Middle Ages mountain villagers cleared forests for farmland, using the wood for fuel and construction. The Ottomans in the 19th century destroyed much of the forest cover and during World War II British troops used the wood to build railroad between Tripoli and Haifa.

In his book, “The Natural History of the Bible”, H.B.Tristam (1880) says of the cedars: “… Everyone who has seen these noble trees recognizes the force of the majestic imagery of the prophets. With their gnarled and contorted stems and scaly bark, with their massive branches, with their dark green leaves shot with silver in the sunlight, as they stand a lovely group in the stupendous mountain amphitheater, the assert their title to the monarchs of the forests”. Today the most venerable representatives of the Cedars of Lebanon, which once covered the entire country, are in the Besharre region of North Lebanon. Some 400 trees, many between 1,200 and 2,000 years old stand on slopes 2,000 meters high in the shadow of 3,100-meter peak of Qornet es-Sawda.The Lebanon Cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon, and it is seen on the Lebanese Flag.