Researchers have managed to germinate a plant from a seed that dates back to 1000 years and was found in the Judean Desert. Interestingly, scientists believe that it may be part of a biblical lineage. Labelled ‘Sheba’, the specimen now ranges between 9 and 10 feet in height, thus researchers can identify its fully developed characteristics. It took around 14 years to achieve this milestone and is behind a great deal of work in terms of research and cultivation. The report was published in Communications Biology on September 10.
The ancient seed which has been calibrated to be between A.D 993 and 1202 was recovered from a cave in the late 1980s by Joseph Patrich, a professor of Archaeology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The seed was dormant for centuries and the idea of germination was only implemented in 2010 under the Arava Institute for Sustainable Agriculture led by Dr Elaine Solowey.
It is hypothesised that Sheba might be related to ‘tsori’, which is mentioned in texts relating to healing in the Bible. This resin is cited in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and is believed to be valuable in the past. The tree belongs to the genus Commiphora which includes plants that bear myrrh and frankincense which are substances of cultural importance in many societies.
The research indicates that Sheba may refer to a lineage of trees which are now extinct but used to grow in modern-day Palestine, Jordan and Israel. The researchers believed that this lineage could have been a source of tsori, which was used for purposes of healing and not for the pleasant smell.
Now, with Sheba resurrected and analysed, the team believes it has solved the riddle of biblical tsori. Analysis of the chemical composition of Sheba’s leaves and resin showed that it is packed with different types of pentacyclic triterpenoids, which is a compound that can control inflammation as well as prevent cancer. Furthermore, it is important to highlight the presence of squalene, an antioxidant with the function of giving the skin a smoother look. These results suggest that Sheba may contain remarkable medicinal properties which lend credence to the possibility that it is an example of a type of extinct lineage that was once more widespread in the area.
Due to these considerations, while early researchers expected Sheba might have been related to the known ‘Judean Balsam’, no aromatic compounds were found in the tissues of the tree. This brought them to the conclusion that, although it is morphologically very similar to other species of Commiphora, it does not belong to the variety associated with aromatic resins.
There is still doubt over the exact classification of Sheba because since germination, it hasn’t flowered or reproduced, and no material has been collected from it for 14 years. Scientists are optimistic that such research could help discover other ties of this ancient species to other historic plants. “We believe these findings support our second hypothesis, that ‘Sheba’ … may represent an extinct (or at least extirpated) [lineage] once native to this region, whose resin ‘tsori’ mentioned in Biblical texts was valuable, associated with healing but not described as fragrant,” researchers wrote in the paper.
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