VII. Natural History. — 1. Plants. — The various plants mentioned in the Bible are fully treated of in this work under their proper names. It is not necessary here to repeat what is said elsewhere, nor is it intended to give anything like a resume of the botany of Palestine. All that is aimed at is to give some of the leading features of the vegetation of the country — to mention some of the principal plants now existing, and the localities in which they abound. The diversity of climate in Pales- tine has already been noticed. There is a regular gra- dation from the cold of Northern Europe to the heat of the tropics. This produces a corresponding variety of vegetation. Many of the plants of Eurf)pe, Asia, and Africa are found in the resjiective departments of Pal- estine. On the mountain-tops of Hermon, Bashan, and Galilee the products of the cold regions of the north grow luxuriantly ; on the coast plain are some pecidiar to Eastern Asia ; and in the deep valley of the Jordan an African flora aboinids.
(1.) On the northern mountain- ridges, and in Bashan, the oak and pine are the principal natural or forest trees ; the former sometimes forming dense woods, and growing to a great size. The cedar is now, and was probably al- ways, confined to the higher regions of Lebanon, Among smaller trees and bushes are the juniper, dwarf elder, sumac {Rhus'), and hawthorn ; the ivy, honeysuckle, and some species of rose are met with, but not in great abun- dance. The celebrated " oak of Bashan" appears to be the Quercus ^Ef/ilops ; it has a massive trunk, short gnarled arms, and a round, compact top. It also abounds in Gilead, all over Jebel el-Heish, and Galilee. An oak of another and smaller variety (Que}-cus Coccifera), growing in bushes, not unlike English hawthorn in form, and having a leaf resembling holly, but smaller, spreads over Carmel, the ridge of Samaria, and the western slopes of the mountains of Juda?a, sometimes forming impenetrable jungles. Intermixed with it in some places are found the arbutus, hawthorn, pistachio, and carob or locust-tree. Common brambles are abun- dant, as well as the styrax, the hay, the wild olive, and more rarely the thorny PuHurtis A culeatus, or "ChrisVs thorn." In the lowlands are the plane-tree, sycamore, and palm ; but none of them abundant. Along the sandy downs of Sharon and Philistia grows the mari- time pine ; and on the banks of streams are the willow, oleander, and gigantic reeds. In the Jordan valley and along the Dead Sea are found the nubk (Zizyphus Spina- Christi), papyrus, tamarisk, acacia, retama (a kind of broom), sea-pink, Dead-Sea apple (Solanum Sodometnn), the Balanites yfJffyptiaca, and on the banks of the river several species of willow and reed.
(2.) The hills and plains of Palestine abound mfloicers. In early spring large sections of the country are covered with them, looking like a vast natural parterre. The most conspicuous among them arc the lily, tulip, anem- one, poppy, hyacinth, cyclamen, star of Bethlehem, crocus, and mallow. Thistles are seen on plain and mountain in infinite number and great variety — some small and creeping, with bright blue spines, others large and formidable, with heads like the '"Hails" of the an- cient Britons. On the hills are also found vast quanti- ties of aromatic shrubs, which fill the air with fragrance; among them are the sage, thyme, and SAvrct marjoram.
(3.) The cultivated trees and plants in Palestine in- clude most of those common in Europe, with many oth- ers peculiar to warmer climates. The vine may be re- garded as the staple product of the hills and mountains. It is still extensively cultivated ; and those terraces now
seen on the sides of valley, hill, and mountain were doubtless clothed with vines in ancient times. The olive is scarcely less abundant. It is found at almost every village in Western Palestine. But its greatest groves are at Gaza, Nabulus, and on the western decliv- ities of Galilee. It is not met with in the Jordan val- ley, and it is extremely rare in Gilead and Bashan. Some of the trees grow to a great size, though the branches are low and sparse. An olive-tree may be seen in the plain of Damascus upwards of forty feet in girth. The fig is abundant, especially among the hills of Judah and Samaria. Other fruit-trees less common are the pomegranate, apricot, walnut, almond, apple, quince, and mulberry. Date-palms are found at vari- ous places along the maritime plain ; there are very few in the mountains, and they have altogether disappeared from Jericho, the " city of palm-trees ;" though dwarf- palms grow at various places along the Jordan valley, as at Gennesaret. In the orchards of Joppa are the or- ange, lemon, citron, and banana; and the prickly pear in great abundance formed into hedges. The principal cereals are wheat, barley, rye, millet, Indian-corn, and rice in the marshy plain of the upper Jordan. Of pulse we find the pea of several varieties, the bean, large and small, and the lentil. Among esculent vegetables are the potato, recently introduced, carrots, lettuce, beets, turnips, and cabbages. In the sandy plains and in the Jordan vallej' cucumbers, melons, gourds, and pumpkins are grown in immense quantities. Hemp is common, flax less so, and cotton is produced in large quantities. Mr. Poole states that indigo and sesame are grown in the valley of Nabulus [Joui-nal R. G. S. xxvi, 57). The sugar-cane was formerly extensively cultivated in the Jordan valley, especially around Jericho. Indigo is still grown in the gardens of Jericho and in the plain of Gennesaret. The tobacco-plant is common in Leba- non, and among the villages of Western Palestine. Silk is extensively produced. Mulberry groves are rapidly increasing along the seaboard, and everywhere among the mountains of Western Palestine, At present silk is the most valuable of the exports. The growth of cotton is also increasing. But the heavy exactions of the gov- ernment, and the insecurity of life and property, prevent capitalists from planting trees and cultivating the great plains. See each of these trees, fruits, and vegetables in its alphabetical place.