Since we aren’t outside actively gardening, January is a good month to read about interesting horticulture experiments. This column is about three different plants grown from seeds 1,000 and 2, 000 years old. The resulting trees are named Sheeba, Methuselah, and Hannah. I learned about the seeds and resulting trees in an article by Franz Lidz in the December 24, 2024, issue of the New York Times.

Dr. Sarah Sallon was given a mysterious seed that had resided in the achives of the Hebrew University. It was discovered in a cave during the 1980s. Dr Sallon wondered and hoped the seed might be the extinct Judean Balsam whose resin was highly fragrant and was known as the balm of Gilead. 

The Judean Balsam grew in the Dead Sea Basin but vanished from that region by the 9th century.  The husk was carbon-dated to be from AD 993 – AD 1202, proving it was possible.

The 1,000-year-old seed germinated and has grown into a 12-foot tree named Sheeba by Dr Sallon. The resulting tree proved to not be the balm of Gilead because it lacked any distinctive scent. 

In the 1960s excavation of Masada, some 2,000-thousand-year-old date palm seeds were discovered. Eventually, Dr. Sallon received 6 of those seeds. One was used to establish the age through carbon dating. Dr. Sallon planted 3 seeds,1 germinated, grew and was given the name Methuselah. The new plant’s genetics differed from modern date palms. Methuselah was a male tree.

Meanwhile, a female date palm named Hannah had been grow from a 2000-year-old seed recovered from a burial cave found near Jericho. The pollen from Methuselah was used to fertilize flowers on Hannah which eventually produced dates.

Unlike the Mid-East, the Midwest climate is not conducive for nature to store seeds for millennia. Instead, we have seed banks to preserve the genetic diversity of plants. Because of our changing climate and environment, habitat loss, and the constant impact of invasive species, seed banks have grown in popularity and importance. They range from the climate-controlled banks like the one at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, to libraries saving seeds in envelopes.

We bank genetic material in the form of seeds for several reasons: conservation, restoration, and research.

The Extension Master Gardeners of Edgar County look forward to helping you with your landscape problems. Call the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners of Edgar County for gardening information at 217-465-8585 or schiver@illinois.edu.