Flowers in Israel

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.

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 myrtle branches. The six branches are bound together and referred to collectively as the lulav. The etrog is held separately. During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, with these four species in hand one recites a blessing and waves the species in a special ceremony (called na’anu’im – נענועים) in six directions (east, south, west, north, up and down, symbolizing the fact that God is everywhere). In biblical times, these so-called “four species” served as an offering of thanksgiving and celebration at harvest time.

The Torah chose four species according to those kinds which abound in the Land of Israel. Israel has a wide variety of climates and geography, and each of the Four Species of Sukkot represents a different climate and symbolism. The aravah and the etrog need large amounts of water to thrive, the palm tree (lulav) and hadas can do with less water.

The Bible does not specify the names of the species or their precise description, but tradition came to identify the Biblical words thus:

1.Etrog (Hebrew: אתרוג) is one of several varieties of citron, – the lower coastal areas and valleys – Symbol of Fertility – “The fruit of a goodly tree”. The only citrus known to have grown here in ancient times is the citron (etrog) described in the Bible as “the fruit of the glorious (hadar) tree” (Leviticus 24:40). In modern Hebrew hadar (glory, grandiosity, splendor) has come to refer to all citrus fruits. This is the only one of the four species which is actually a fruit. Its inclusion symbolizes the zenith of agricultural development, when the farmers of Israel were able to spare the time and effort to raise fruit trees for their majesty and beauty.
The etrog produces fruit throughout the year. The pittom or stigma (the fruit’s female organ) stays attached to the fruit, even after it has ripened. In some species the pittom protrudes prominently from the fruit. This also explains how the etrog has become a symbol of fertility.

2.Lulav (Hebrew: לולב) is a ripe, green, closed frond of the date palm tree – Palm trees love hot and dry climates, but they don’t give much fruit along the coast, where it may be hot in the summer but it’s also very humid, they prefer the deserts – Symbol of Victory. In the Second Temple Period, the palm was a symbol of victory: “They came to the fort in Jerusalem with praise and with date fronds and with lyres and with harps,” the Book of Maccabees, following a Jewish victory over the Greeks. The fronds are reminders of the Jewish people’s 40-year wandering in the desert – Date palms also appeared on Jewish victory coins of that period.

3.Hadas (Hebrew: הדס, pl. hadassim – הדסים) is a bough of the myrtle tree – Hadassim prefer the colder mountainous regions – Symbol of Immortality and Success. The Hadas reminds the forest thickets that the Israelites found covering the hill country when they entered the land in the days of Joshua. The Hadas, myrtle is characterized by its leafy branches that also cover the trunk of the tree. Its branches remain upright and fresh long after cutting. It withstands drought; even after fire, the myrtle pushes out new leaves. To the renaissance, since it was forever green, it symbolized everlasting love.

4.Aravah (Hebrew: ערבה, pl. aravot – ערבות) is a leafy branch of the willow tree – The Aravah grows only within a few meters of streams that flow all year long – Symbol of Dependence on Water. Willows only flourish in water; they wilt the day that they are cut. Willows grow along the banks of the Jordan River, where the Israelites encamped before crossing into the Promised Land.

The Midrash (ancient Rabbinic commentary) finds symbolism in the four agricultural species – the four species correspond to four kinds of Jew.

The etrog has both tasty fruit and a good smell. It represents those who keep the Torah and also do good deeds; The lulav has tasty fruit (dates) but no smell. It represents those who keep the Torah, but don’t do good deeds; The hadas, the myrtle has a fresh smell but no fruit. It represents those who do good deeds but do not keep the Torah; The aravah has no fruit and no smell. It represents those who do not keep Torah and do no good deeds.

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