http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080612/ap_on_...ci_ancient_tree
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer
Thu Jun 12, 3:42 PM ET
Just over three years old and about four-feet tall, Methuselah is growing well. "It's lovely," Dr. Sarah Sallon said of the date palm, whose parents may have provided food for the besieged Jews at Masada some 2,000 years ago.
The little tree was sprouted in 2005 from a seed recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers.
Radiocarbon dating of seed fragments clinging to its root, as well as other seeds found with it that didn't sprout, indicate they were about 2,000 years old — the oldest seed known to have been sprouted and grown.
Sallon, director of the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel, updates the saga of Methuselah in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
One thing they don't know yet is whether it's a boy or girl. Date palms differ by sex, but experts can't tell the difference until the tree is six or seven years old, Sallon said.
She hopes there's a chance to use it to restore the extinct Judean date palm, once prized not only for its fruit but also for medicinal uses.
The researchers have had a look at the plant's DNA, however, and found it shares just over half its genes with modern date cultivars.
"Part of our project is to preserve ancient knowledge of how plants were used," Sallon said in a telephone interview. "To domesticate them so we have a ready source of raw material."
Her Middle Eastern Medicinal Plant Project is working to conserve and reintroduce plants to the region where they once lived.
"Many species are endangered and becoming extinct. Raising the dead is very difficult, so it's better to preserve them before they become extinct," she said.
The oldest documented seed to be grown previously was a 1,300-year-old lotus, Sallon said.
Full Version: 2000 Year Old Israeli Seed
Pretty darn cool all right!.. She will live again! ...
maybe this is a physical shadow, ?
it has been 2000 yrs since the seed of Christ was planted in israel and most were broken off, maybe the Lord is showing us that it is time for that 2000 yr old see to again be planted and grow in those people
it is methusaleh which was the oldest known person in the bible so maybe it is speaking of the seed of LIFE?
it has been 2000 yrs since the seed of Christ was planted in israel and most were broken off, maybe the Lord is showing us that it is time for that 2000 yr old see to again be planted and grow in those people
it is methusaleh which was the oldest known person in the bible so maybe it is speaking of the seed of LIFE
?
Why has no one yet started another topic with:
"Was the seed at Masada left there on purpose?"
only to be followed 24 hours later by the topic: "And by whom?"
Then after another two days: "Is it a natural seed or a spiritual seed?"
after which NIGHTMARE can open one saying: "Was it Cain's seed?" and yet another one with: "Should Eve put that seed in a pot and water it?".
Do you catch my drift?
"Was the seed at Masada left there on purpose?"
only to be followed 24 hours later by the topic: "And by whom?"
Then after another two days: "Is it a natural seed or a spiritual seed?"
after which NIGHTMARE can open one saying: "Was it Cain's seed?" and yet another one with: "Should Eve put that seed in a pot and water it?".
Do you catch my drift?
Interesting!
Is it a sign?
Reminds me of what Jesus said...
Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
I find it also interesting that it is a DATE seed. Is it a sign of time also?
Praise God, He did say He would show us wonders in the Heavens and in the earth....
When oh Lord will your people realise we have entered the day of resurrection, and that the tree of life
is at hand....
2,000-Year-Old Seed has Roots in King Herod's Palace
By Maureen "MO" Gilmer
May 15, 2006
In Israel, at Kibbutz Ketura, a 14-inch seedling date palm goes by the name Methuselah.
The seed from which it sprouted 14 months ago was found in archeological excavations of King Herod's palace on Mount Masada. Lying dormant for 2,000 years, it is the oldest seed to ever produce a viable tree. And this is no ordinary date palm, but the extinct Judean form considered uniquely medicinal.
The Judean palms described in Roman writings and shown on their coins are endemic to the Holy Land. Enormous forests of these palms once covered this now barren landscape, the value of its date harvest invaluable to the economic viability of Judea. But these groves disappeared after the Romans left. Twentieth century palm groves planted in Israel are not Judean, but imported from the date groves of California. Botanists are keen on discovering how the ancient date palm differs from our contemporary agricultural plants.
The date palm trees that fill scripture of many faiths is Phoenix dactylifera. The genus Phoenix relates to the palm's remarkable ability to regrow and fruit after near death due to drought.
These rugged feather-fronded palms have long been associated with the Holy Land and figure into religious celebrations such as Palm Sunday. It has become a symbol of peace and of life because its shade and sweet fruit was vital to people in the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps more important is that palms signal the presence of ground water, marking locations of wells and spring fed oases.
The assurance of a heavy date crop was always on the minds of Holy Land cultures. The species is a diecious plant, which means Phoenix dactyliferas can be either a male or female. The male palms tend to be scrubby in form with many growth points that produce pollen-bearing flowers. The females grow a single tall trunk that can reach 30 feet at maturity, producing numerous large clusters of flowers at the top.
In Israel it was common for the male flowers to be cut and placed in the foliage heads of female palms to help fertilize them more thoroughly. In the Talmud there is a story of a female palm tree in Jericho weeping for its male companion until a branch of the male was brought over.
In ancient times, the value of the male trees cannot be overestimated. Loss of the male flowers would prevent pollination and cut off all fruit production. For cultures dependent on that harvest, this loss meant famine.
When conquering armies invaded date palm-dependent lands, they often cut down the male palm trees to interrupt the food supply. It was similar to the Romans sowing salt in the fields of Carthage. It took many years, if not decades, for the male palms to regrow and produce enough pollen to fertilize the existing female palms. In the interim, locals would be preoccupied with finding enough food rather than fighting their conquerors.
Palms are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed. Pits from dried dates you buy at the store will sprout within a few weeks in ordinary potting soil. These palms are not tolerant of frost and should be considered a houseplant in areas where winter temperatures drop below freezing. But they are fast growers in containers, easily moved around with the seasons.
Even in areas where date palms grow outdoors, there is little chance a tree will bear fruit. An old expression says, "Date palms have their feet in the water and their heads in the fire." They require extreme dry heat and heavy irrigation to form dates.
So whether you grow a California date or one like Methuselah raised from the dustbin of history, all Phoenix dactyliferas carry an extraordinary heritage. It is perhaps the most ecumenical plant ever, shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
And it is chronicled in the ancient literature of all three religions for its diverse powers _ from an aphrodisiac to a contraceptive _ and as a cure for a wide range of diseases including cancer, malaria and toothache. Now modern scientists may one day have a chance to test those contentions.
By Maureen "MO" Gilmer
May 15, 2006
In Israel, at Kibbutz Ketura, a 14-inch seedling date palm goes by the name Methuselah.
The seed from which it sprouted 14 months ago was found in archeological excavations of King Herod's palace on Mount Masada. Lying dormant for 2,000 years, it is the oldest seed to ever produce a viable tree. And this is no ordinary date palm, but the extinct Judean form considered uniquely medicinal.
The Judean palms described in Roman writings and shown on their coins are endemic to the Holy Land. Enormous forests of these palms once covered this now barren landscape, the value of its date harvest invaluable to the economic viability of Judea. But these groves disappeared after the Romans left. Twentieth century palm groves planted in Israel are not Judean, but imported from the date groves of California. Botanists are keen on discovering how the ancient date palm differs from our contemporary agricultural plants.
The date palm trees that fill scripture of many faiths is Phoenix dactylifera. The genus Phoenix relates to the palm's remarkable ability to regrow and fruit after near death due to drought.
These rugged feather-fronded palms have long been associated with the Holy Land and figure into religious celebrations such as Palm Sunday. It has become a symbol of peace and of life because its shade and sweet fruit was vital to people in the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East. Perhaps more important is that palms signal the presence of ground water, marking locations of wells and spring fed oases.
The assurance of a heavy date crop was always on the minds of Holy Land cultures. The species is a diecious plant, which means Phoenix dactyliferas can be either a male or female. The male palms tend to be scrubby in form with many growth points that produce pollen-bearing flowers. The females grow a single tall trunk that can reach 30 feet at maturity, producing numerous large clusters of flowers at the top.
In Israel it was common for the male flowers to be cut and placed in the foliage heads of female palms to help fertilize them more thoroughly. In the Talmud there is a story of a female palm tree in Jericho weeping for its male companion until a branch of the male was brought over.
In ancient times, the value of the male trees cannot be overestimated. Loss of the male flowers would prevent pollination and cut off all fruit production. For cultures dependent on that harvest, this loss meant famine.
When conquering armies invaded date palm-dependent lands, they often cut down the male palm trees to interrupt the food supply. It was similar to the Romans sowing salt in the fields of Carthage. It took many years, if not decades, for the male palms to regrow and produce enough pollen to fertilize the existing female palms. In the interim, locals would be preoccupied with finding enough food rather than fighting their conquerors.
Palms are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed. Pits from dried dates you buy at the store will sprout within a few weeks in ordinary potting soil. These palms are not tolerant of frost and should be considered a houseplant in areas where winter temperatures drop below freezing. But they are fast growers in containers, easily moved around with the seasons.
Even in areas where date palms grow outdoors, there is little chance a tree will bear fruit. An old expression says, "Date palms have their feet in the water and their heads in the fire." They require extreme dry heat and heavy irrigation to form dates.
So whether you grow a California date or one like Methuselah raised from the dustbin of history, all Phoenix dactyliferas carry an extraordinary heritage. It is perhaps the most ecumenical plant ever, shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
And it is chronicled in the ancient literature of all three religions for its diverse powers _ from an aphrodisiac to a contraceptive _ and as a cure for a wide range of diseases including cancer, malaria and toothache. Now modern scientists may one day have a chance to test those contentions.
John.12
[13] Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
[13] Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
DATE tree... that made me smile Justice.
I think it is a sign, Shekel.
I think it is a sign, Shekel.
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