Ancient Biblical Tree Species Revived Using 1,000-Year-Old Seed

A tree species believed to have been lost to history has been successfully regrown from a 1,000-year-old seed, according to new research. 

A study recently published in the Communications Biology journal describes how botanists pulled off the biblical feat. Back in the 1980s, a perfectly intact seed was found in a cave in the Judean Desert, though the exact species remained unknown. To find out just what it is, the team of researchers planted the seed in 2010 and watched it matured. 

After 14 years of growth, the scientists believe they might have revived a storied plant that has been believed to be extinct for years. The Bible and other ancient texts have described how the tree, part of the Commiphora genus, produced a medicinal plant extract known as “tsori” used as a healing balm. 

Study lead author Sarah Sallon surmised that the tree might be the source of what ancient texts call “Judean balsam” or “balm of Gilead.” The only way to find out was to observe the plant itself. 

“We planted it in 2010 [and] it’s now 2024. Why did we wait so long [to publish the research]? Because I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t the Judean balsam. And how would I definitively know that? By smelling it,” Sallon told CNN. Through radiocarbon dating, they found the specimen dated to between 993 and 1202 C.E. 

Sallon and the team concluded that “it’s not the Judean balsam” but “a close cousin of it.” It’s a yet-to-be-determined “non-aromatic Commiphora that is a treasure chest of medicinal compounds.” The study predicted that the specimen is most closely related to Commiphora angolensis, Commiphora neglecta, and Commiphora tenuipetiolata. But because the tree has yet to flower or produce fruit, the question of its exact species remains unanswered.