The Forest Trees of Britain (Volume 2) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1849. Excerpt: ... THE JUNIPER. JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS. Class--Dhecia. Order--Monadelphia. The Juniper is well known to the readers of the English version of the Bible as the tree under which the prophet Elijah, wearied with his journey through the wilderness, sat down to rest, when flying from the persecution of Jezebel (1 Kings xix. 4). This tree, or rather shrub, is generally supposed to be a species of Broom (Genista monosperma) which is one of the few plants to be found in the Arabian deserts. Burckhardt mentions it as growing also in the deserts to the south of Palestine, so that the Juniper which sheltered the prophet may possibly be the tree in question, though other travellers have looked for it in the neighbourhood of Mount Horeb, instead of at the distance of a day's journey from Jerusalem. Lord Lindsay speaks of his having frequently sheltered himself under a Broom in the valleys of Mount Sinai, an incident which Dr. Kitto fixes on as conclusive, seemingly forgetting that Elijah was as yet distant a journey of forty days from the same spot. Nevertheless the similarity of the Hebrew name Rothem to the Arabic Rethem, makes it highly probable that the two trees are identical. II. F F The Juniper is a native of all the northern parts of Europe, and in Great Britain is generally found on hills and heathy downs especially where the soil is chalky. It usually appears as a bushy, evergreen shrub, with narrow sharp-pointed leaves, which are arranged in threes, and are of a glaucous hue above, and dark green beneath. Instead of bearing dry cones, like most other trees belonging to this tribe, the Juniper produces fleshy berries which are formed of the united scales of the calyx, and contain three oblnng seeds. The barren flowers are small, and grow on separate plants from the...