A recent news item in The Times puts the spotlight on seed longevity. Apparently a thousand-year-old seed recovered from an archaeological dig in the Judean Desert has grown into a three-metre-tall plant. The seed, which was discovered in a dig in the 1980s in a cave near Jerusalem, was carbon dated to between 990 and 1200AD.
The plant has been identified as Commiphora spp., part of the family producing frankincense and myrrh. Researchers believe the tree they’ve grown may be the source of a medicinal substance called ‘tsori’ (translated as balm), which is mentioned in the Bible. Genetic analysis is being carried out to confirm more about the tree, which is now 14 years old and growing in a large pot. Read the full story at in The Times (note there may be a paywall).
This is not the oldest seed to ever germinate. A Judean palm thought to be 2000 years old holds that accolade. It was recovered from excavations at Herod the Great’s palace on Masada in Israel. Preserved in a cool, dry place (not in a freezer), it was germinated in 2005. The second oldest is a sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), which was found as a seed in China and carbon dated to 1300 years old.
