Did 2000 year old seeds grow extinct tree?

Two Israeli scientists have grown a group of date palms from 2,000 year-old seeds. This year, one of the trees produced a harvest of hundreds of dates that until now had been considered extinct. Linda Gradstein reports from Kibbutz Ketura in Israel’s Arava desert.

Do palm trees grow in Israel?

We came into a world with palm trees in Israel. But today, almost 70 years after the founding of the state, Israel’s palm trees are vanishing. In fact, some news reports have estimated that the date palm, one of the “seven species” of the land of Israel, may disappear completely from the region within 10 years.

Can you grow a date tree from a date seed?

However, date palms can also be grown from seed. To grow a date tree from a date pit, soak several date seeds for a week in cold water, changing the water daily to prevent mold or bacterial contamination. Plant the seeds in a pot in potting soil, protected from cold temperatures.

What is the new seed planted in Israel?

Over the past 15 years, a project has been underway in Israel’s southern Arava region to revive ancient species of date palms germinated from seeds found at archaeological digs in the Judean Desert.

Are dates grown in Israel?

Nearly 50% of the global production of dates is Israeli, as are 30% of all Medjool trees. This massive growth is most evident in the Jordan Rift Valley—which includes areas in both Israel and the West Bank—and the Aravah areas in the country’s south.

What is the significance of the date palm in the Bible?

The fruit will be for food and the leaves for medicine.” Date palm trees grow tall point toward the infinite heavens where there is a promise of Life Eternal. The symbolism of the straight trunk of the palm tree is clear; that humans should journey down the straight path that leads Christians toward righteousness.

Are date palms extinct?

There is only one species of date and it’s not extinct. This whole line of research began by wondering what the dates of Judea, extolled in ancient literature, were like.

Do date palms grow in Jerusalem?

Seven date palm trees have been grown from 2000-year-old seeds that were found in the Judean desert near Jerusalem. The seeds – the oldest ever germinated – were among hundreds discovered in caves and in an ancient palace built by King Herod the Great in the 1st century BC.

How do you plant date palm seeds?

Fill a medium-sized pot with well-draining sandy soil. You can always use a palm soil mixture from the nursery. Plant your seed about one inch beneath the lid of the pot, then cover the seed with a layer of sand so that your sprout is above the soil. Only plant one seed at a time.

What kind of palms grow in Israel?

The Judean date palm is a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) grown in Judea. It is not clear whether there was ever a single distinct Judean cultivar, but dates grown in the region have had distinctive reputations for thousands of years, and the date palm was anciently regarded as a symbol of the region and its fertility.

How long does it take for a date palm seed to germinate?

Plant the seed about 1 inch deep into loose soil, with the root facing down or to the side. Cover with soil and water until the soil is just damp. Place the plant in a sunny spot and water only when the soil feels dry. The seed sprouts in two to five months.

How old is the Judean date palm seed?

It is not the first time the team have managed to grow ancient seeds: in 2008 they reported that they had germinated a 1,900-year-old Judean date palm seed from Masada – an ancient site extended by Herod the Great in the first century BC that looks out over the Dead Sea.

Where did Israel’s date palm trees come from?

Those date palms of modern day Israel are modern and they were imported after the founding of the State in the 1950s. But they’re not the original date tree that grew here,” Sallon said. Years ago at Masada, archaeologists found a jar of those ancient date seeds.

Could date seeds from the time of Jesus be in Israel?

Two of the seeds found are like modern Iraqi varieties of date, which may be linked to the return of Jews from exile in the sixth century BC. Photograph: Ali Al-Saadi/AFP via Getty Images A handful of date seeds from fruit that ripened around the time of Jesus have been successfully planted and grown in southern Israel, researchers have revealed.

When did palm seeds come into existence?

Back at the lab, scientists broke off tiny chips of the seeds’ shells; carbon dating estimated their origin between 155 BC and 64 CE. Aerial view of Masada, site of Herod the Great’s palace and ancient date palm seed preservation techniques.