BIBLE PLANTS           


The myrrh tree is one of the many plants mentioned in the Bible. Its scientific name is Commiphora molmol syn. C.myrrha  belonging to the plant family Burseraceae. It is not surprising that this is a tree native to the Arabian peninsula, found mainly in Oman, Yemen, Somalia and in Eastern Ethiopia.

This is a small tree about 10 feet tall, with an ash-colored central trunk with scaly, spiny branches. It grows on arid, rocky and poor soils, being adapted for growth under harsh, desert conditions. Its canopy is low spreading like a cedar. The leaves are few, trifoliate, small and oval in shape. Each leaf is made up of three unequal leaflets.

Myrrh is used extensively in incense, religious rituals, perfume, cosmetics, and medicine. Thousands of years ago in the Middle East, people used myrrh as medicine for treatment for a variety of ailments.

Another tree native to the Arabian region is Boswelia caraterii, which produces an aromatic gum resin, known as frankincense. It belongs to the same family as the myrrh tree. It has stiff, low branches and red flowers. The resin from the sap was used as a incense in religious and funereal rituals.

Splits in the bark produce a pale yellow aromatic sap or resin that hardens into a gob the size of a walnut. This contains the much sought-after myrrh and frankincense incense.             

Sap from the myrrh and frankincense trees is currently being tapped commercially using the same method used for latex-producing trees.

Many attempts have been made by many in our country to grow and mass produce these trees from seed, but all attempts have failed. You will just have to be content with the essence made from resin produced from these trees grown in their native lands.

There are at least over a hundred and fifty other trees, shrubs, flowers and herb mentioned throughout the Bible.

Many are common plants we are familiar with. Those of you who want to start a church garden with these plants should check growth requirements and zone adaptation. This web site  plant finder is the site where you will find all plant growth requirements.

             GROWING YOUR OWN BIBLE PLANTS

Many plants were mentioned throughout the text of the Bible. These plants were referred to by their common names because thousands of years ago, plant nomenclature or a systematic method of giving each plant species a scientific name, did not exist. Only dedicated botanists, plant taxonomists, and historians can determine exactly which plant was mentioned in the Bible.