phoenicea) berries were found in a third-dynasty Egyptian grave. It is a small pyramidal evergreen shrub. Ancient uses include construction, flavoring for meats, and medicine. It was mentioned more than eighty times in the famous Egyptian Ebers Papyrus as having antiseptic and antibiotic qualities.
Mulberry (Morus nigra— tut): This tree, a native of Persia , has been cultivated in Palestine since 200 B.C.E. It is of medium size. The fruit is black and contains sweet juice, it was used to provoke elephants to fight in 1 Maccabees. Some ancient uses include the bark for tannin and the fruit(fresh or dried) was made into jams and wine. Medicinally, the root was a remedy for tapeworms and the bark served as a laxative.
Olive (Olea europeae— zayit) This tree was cultivated over six thousand years ago. Olive trees are mentioned in the Noah story and more than fifty times in the Bible . Oil is symbolic of goodness and purity and the tree is a symbol of peace and happiness. The cultivation of olives was most important, as shown when Moses exempted men who worked in its cultivation from the military. Many references to gardens in the Bible seem to refer to olive groves. This slow-growing tree can reach an age of more than one thousand years. It is difficult to kill because when the tree is cut down new sprouts appear from the roots around the old trunk. Olive trees can even bear fruit when the trunk is hollow. Olive trees are cultivated for seven years before fruiting and reach maturity after fifteen to twenty years. A full-sized tree produces half a ton of olives annually. Olive oil is the only edible oil made from a fruit instead of a nut or seed(e.g., corn, peanut, safflower). Some ancient uses for the wood include construction, ornaments, and household utensils. The fruit was used for anointing oil, cooking, lighting, and as a leather softener. It also had medicinal uses.
Sycamore fig(Ficus sycomorus— shikma) This species of ficus is similar to the fig tree(Ficus carica ) but reaches a greater height ~- to sixty feet. The fruit is picked several times annually; it is inferior in taste and sweetness to the true fig. Amos knew the importance of pricking each fruit at the right stage in its development to make it edible. The wood is light and porous. Some ancient uses include sarcophagi, construction, furniture, boxes, doors, and mummy coffins, while the figs were food for the poor. Medicinally the fruit was used as vermifuge and a laxative.
Tamarisk(Tamarix pentandra— eshel) This tree grows in sandy areas. Some biblical scholars believe that the tamarisk was the