Extinct Biblical Tree Resurrected From Ancient Seed Found In Cave

A 1,000 year old seed discovered in a cave in the Judean desert has sprouted, grown and reached maturity, and appears to have medicinal qualities.

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Commiphora caudata leaves. This tree may be a close relative to “Sheba”, a young Commiphora tree grown from a 1,000 year old seed discovered in a cave in the Judean desert. (Credit: Vinayaraj / CC BY-SA 3.0)

A mysterious ancient seed recovered during archaeological excavations of a cave near Jerusalem has grown into a tree that may be the source of a medicinal balm mentioned in the Bible, according to a newly published study.

The seed was discovered in a Judean Desert cave in the late 1980s, and radiocarbon analysis indicated it was approximately 1000 years old. The seed likely survived from a now-extinct population of trees that existed in the Southern Levant, a region comprising modern-day Israel, Palestine and Jordan, and is the first of its kind to be found there.

Tests suggested that the 2 cm long (slightly less than one inch; Figure 1a) seed was still viable, so the research team planted and carefully tended it. It took around 5 weeks to sprout. Now, 14 years later, the tree has reached maturity (Figure 1). Researchers named their tree “Sheba” to honor of the Queen, Sheba, who brought the balsam root from Arabia to King Solomon as a gift.