It is the beginning of Easter week, so I’m going to research several plants that are meaningful for the Easter story. For Christians, Palm Sunday represents Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was greeted as a King by crowds who anticipated he would provide a military or political solution to their problems, rather than a spiritual one. According to Matthew 21, the people laid down a path of garments and branches, and waived palm branches in greeting. In the ancient times, palm branches were a symbol of victory and goodness.
In Jerusalem, the palm branches would be from Phoenix dactylifera—the date palm—which was cultivated as a food, fiber, and medicinal source. Palm branches grow in a crown at the top of the trunk. Its branches are long, with leaflets and spines distributed on its edges. Date palms have been cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years. Several species of date palms, including the Medjool, have been imported from the Middle East and are cultivated in the low desert of Imperial and Coachella valleys in California.
California's native palm–Washingtonia filifera–can be found in parts of Arizona, Nevada, Mexico, and the Colorado Desert in Southern California. The palm is a remnant from a more tropical time in the West, but still thrives in desert places where water is available. Their branches differ from the date palm, in that they resemble fans instead of linear branches. The trees provide a haven for birds, bats, insects, Borrego sheep, and people.
Learn More:
Neot Kedumim, The Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel (plant list):
http://www.n-k.org.il/public/english/what/trails/plantlist.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Story-Fabulous-Medjool-Date/dp/0977473724
In Jerusalem, the palm branches would be from Phoenix dactylifera—the date palm—which was cultivated as a food, fiber, and medicinal source. Palm branches grow in a crown at the top of the trunk. Its branches are long, with leaflets and spines distributed on its edges. Date palms have been cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years. Several species of date palms, including the Medjool, have been imported from the Middle East and are cultivated in the low desert of Imperial and Coachella valleys in California.
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| Date palm near the Salton Sea. Notice the linear branches. |
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| Fan palm in Whitewater Preserve picnic area. Notice the fan-shaped branches. |
Learn More:
Neot Kedumim, The Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel (plant list):
http://www.n-k.org.il/public/english/what/trails/plantlist.htm
Old Dominion University (plant list): http://www.odu.edu/~lmusselm/plant/bible/allbibleplantslist.php
For an interesting book about the Medjool in California, see The Amazing Story of the Fabulous Medjool Date, by Marc E. Paulsen (Mark Paulsen Press, 2008):http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Story-Fabulous-Medjool-Date/dp/0977473724
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