Plant Life of the Holy Land
Palestine is referred to in the Bible as a land “flowing with milk and honey." A visitor to Palestine to-day would wonder at the absurdity of such a statement, for…
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“Plant Life of the Holy Land” from When I was a Boy in Palestine by Mousa Kaleel, 1914.
Palestine is referred to in the Bible as a land “flowing with milk and honey." A visitor to Palestine to-day would wonder at the absurdity of such a statement, for how could a land where even water does not flow produce milk and honey? The soil of Palestine to-day is very stony, and its herbage mostly wild-flowers, except in scattered places where the land is cultivated, and even then wild growth shares existence with what is planted.
Trees in Palestine are divided by the natives into two classes: those that produce food and those that do not. The latter are never cultivated, and what few grow in spite of the people are cut down and used to make fuel.
The most important of the useful trees is the olive-tree. It has a leaf varying from an inch and one-fourth to two inches in length and about one-third of an inch in width, and tapering to a point at the end. Olive blossoms grow in tiny clusters just inside the leaf. An olive-tree resembles a chestnut-tree in shape, and when old, its trunk has the same scaly appearance. Its wood has a very beautiful grain and is extensively used in the cities to make souvenirs for tourists. Of the fruit and its use, I have already spoken.
Next in importance comes the fig-tree. It resembles the poplar in growth. It has a leaf about the size of the human hand, and fringed. Its fruit is valued by the people, and is dried for winter use. It is not seedy when ripe, and I have often wondered whether seedless dried figs could be had if the figs were dried at this stage. Figs are allowed to dry and over-ripen on the tree, and are picked up when they fall to the ground, and then given some additional drying before they are ready for storage.
Apple-trees do not thrive as well in Palestine as they do farther north. Two or three varieties of pears grow, but are seldom cultivated.
The pomegranate-tree has a very beautiful bud. Its fruit out of season is a rare delicacy, and is supposed to be very nourishing to the sick. On the plains of the maritime districts grow orange-trees and lemon-trees. The cactus, at times a tree and at times a bush, thrives in dry and sandy places. Its fruit, although extremely seedy, is well-liked and considered very healthful.
On the hillsides grow the carob and oak. The former is excellent as a shade-tree, while the latter furnishes choice fuel when made into charcoal. Of other trees, we have the pine, cypress, mulberry, date, apricot, sycamore, plum, and cherry. No berry-bushes are grown, but some very choice vegetation thrives near water, such as lettuce, radishes, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Potatoes and beets are very seldom raised.
The flowers are many and varied, and I shall mention a few of them. Violets grow among the rocks and in crevices of ledges where there is shade and moisture. Unlike American wild violets, these are very fragrant. Tulips and anemones are very numerous, especially the latter. It is very likely that when Jesus said, “Consider the lilies," he referred to them.
On Palm Sunday I joined other boys in carrying olive branches for palms. Among the olive leaves we stuck anemones and other flowers, thus producing a beautiful effect when we went to church. This effect did not last long, for just as soon as the church ceremonies were over, a melee followed and we began beating one another with the olive branches. The flowers suffered fully as much as we did.
“Siray-Il-Ghouleh" starts the flower season in mid-fall. It has a white blossom, sometimes tinged with blue or red. Its bulb, which has to be dug from the ground, has the shape of an old-fashioned oil lamp. We used to carve these out and fill them with olive oil, and by putting wicks into them we could produce a light. That is why this plant is called the ''lamp of the Ghouleh.''
“Thalyoon Seedy,” “the pipe of my grandfather,'' is another flower that grows from a bulb. The narcissus grows out of an onion-like bulb. The wild variety appears just before Easter and continues in bloom until a little later. It grows near ledges or stone-walls.
There are also yellow clover, Venus's looking-glass, acacia, wild mignonette. Madonna flower, larkspur, flax, saffron, everlasting camphire, buttercups, and numerous fruit blossoms, as well as many flowering plants concerning which I must plead ignorance through having had no systematic instruction in botany.
Kaleel, Mousa. When I was a Boy in Palestine. Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Co. 1914.
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