Date palms are the iconic perennial plant of the arid lands of West Asia and North Africa. Date palms grown in antiquity around Jericho and along the Dead Sea in Judea were referred to as Judean date palms, although it was unclear whether this referred to a distinct genetic population. These date palms were discussed by classical writers such as Josephus and Pliny, who described them as producing superior fruit. Studying the genomes of Judean date palms became possible several years ago when seven ancient seeds were germinated to yield viable plants. The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 y old seeds.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 06, 2021 13:41 UTC