Pistacia terebinthus
Pistacia terebinthus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Anacardiaceae |
Genus: | Pistacia |
Species: | P. terebinthus
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Binomial name | |
Pistacia terebinthus | |
Distribution | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Pistacia terebinthus also called the terebinth
Description
The terebinth is a deciduous flowering plant belonging to the cashew family, Anacardiaceae; a small tree or large shrub, it grows to 10 m (33 ft) tall. The leaves are compound, 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long, odd pinnate with five to eleven opposite glossy oval leaflets, the leaflets 2–6 cm (0.79–2.36 in) long and 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) broad. The flowers are reddish-purple, appearing with the new leaves in early spring. The fruit consists of small, globular drupes 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long, red to black when ripe. All parts of the plant have a strong resinous smell.[citation needed]
The terebinth is a
The species propagates by seeds and shoots. Although marred by the presence of galls, it is a very strong and resistant tree which survives in degraded areas where other species have been eliminated. Pistacia terebinthus is related to Pistacia lentiscus, with which it hybridizes frequently in contact zones. Pistacia terebinthus is more abundant in the mountains and inland and the mastic is usually found more frequently in areas where the Mediterranean influence of the sea moderates the climate. The mastic tree does not reach the size of the Pistacia terebinthus, but the hybrids are very difficult to distinguish. The mastic has winged stalks to its leaflets, i.e., the stalks are flattened and with side fins, whereas these stems in Pistacia terebinthus are simple. On the west coast of the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Middle East, P. terebinthus can be confused with P. atlantica.[citation needed]
Habitat
The terebinth prefers relatively moist areas, up to 600 m (2,000 ft) in elevation. It tolerates more intense frost and summer drought than mastic can. The plant is common in the garrigue and maquis. It appears in deciduous oak wood. It has a gray trunk that is very aromatic, and may have multiple trunks or stems when grown as a shrub. Usually reaching 5 m (16 ft) in height, although in rare cases can reach 10 m (33 ft). P. terebinthus is one of the European species of Anacardiaceae, a family of about 600 mostly tropical species. It can be found to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level. P. terebinthus is more moisture demanding than the mastic and more resistant to cold. It requires a sunny exposure and average soils, tolerating lime and some salt, often grows near the sea, deep ravines and near salt-lakes and streams.
History
Historian of Mycenae John Chadwick believes that the terebinth is the plant called ki-ta-no in some of the Linear B tablets. He cites the work of a Spanish scholar, J.L. Melena, who had found "an ancient lexicon which showed that kritanos was another name for the turpentine tree, and that the Mycenaean spelling could represent a variant form of this word."[3]
The Latin name is underlain by the Ancient Greek name τερέβινθος which, in turn, is underlain by a pre-Greek Pelasgian word, marked by the characteristic consonant complex νθ.
Terebinth from Oricum is referred to in Virgil's Aeneid, Book 10, line 136, where Ascanius in battle is compared to "ivory skilfully inlaid in [...] Orician terebinth" ("inclusum[...] Oricia terebintho [...] ebur").
Terebinth is referred to by Robin Lane Fox in Alexander the Great: "When a Persian king took the throne, he attended Pasargadae, site of King Cyrus's tomb, and dressed in a rough leather uniform to eat a ritual meal of figs, sour milk and leaves of terebinth."[4]
The terebinth is mentioned in the
The word terebinth is found in three successive chapters of
It is also found in Genesis chapter 35, where
Terebinths are also found in Isaiah in possible reference to idolatry associated with the trees, although in the Septuagint and Vulgate the word is translated 'idols', as the plural of el.)
For you will be ashamed of the terebinths that you have taken pleasure in.
The best known clear reference to a terebinth (elah) in the Hebrew Scriptures is that of the Valley of Elah or 'Valley of the Terebinth' (עמק האלה), where David fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17:2, 17:19).
Later in 2 Samuel 18:9 David's rebellious son Absalom is caught in the terebinth tree and is killed by Joab and his men, who were part of David's army (2 Samuel 18:14–15).
At least a few references occur in
Uses
The word "turpentine" was originally used for the
The fruits are used in Cyprus for baking of a specialty village bread. In Crete, where the plant is called tsikoudia, it is used to flavor the local variety of pomace brandy, also called tsikoudia. In the Northern Sporades the shoots are used as a vegetable (called tsitsíravla). The plant is rich in tannins and resinous substances and was used for its aromatic and medicinal properties in classical Greece. A mild sweet scented gum can be produced from the bark, and galls often found on the plant are used for tanning leather. A triterpene has been extracted from these galls.[11] In Turkey, it is known as menengiç or bıttım. A coffee-like beverage, Kurdish coffee or menengiç kahvesi,[12] is made from the roasted fruit, and a soap is made from the oil. Terebinth resin was used as a wine preservative in the entire ancient Near East, as proven by many findings in areas such as the foot of the Zagros Mountains[13] and Middle Bronze Age Galilee.[14]
Gallery
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Inflorescence
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Pistacia adds red to the landscape Mount Meron, Israel
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Leaves and stalk
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Pistacia terebinthus in Kythera.
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Pistacia terebinthus at Sounion.
See also
References
- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "Palestine Terebinth - Pistacia terebinthus subsp. Palaestina". Archived from the original on 2021-07-01.
- ^ John Chadwick, The Mycenaean World (Cambridge: University Press, 1976), p. 120; Jose Melena, Durius v. 2 "ki-ta-no en las tabillas de Cnoso" (1974), p. 45-55
- ^ Robin Lane Fox, Alexander the Great (Penguin Books, 2004), p. 273
- ^ ""Terebinth Definitions and Meaning - Bible Dictionary"". Retrieved 3 Mars 2022
- ^ Robert Alter, (tr.) Genesis, W.W.Norton & Co. New York, London 1996 p.60
- ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1882). A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 579.
- ^ JSTOR 1505670.
- ISBN 0-06-270084-7.
- ISBN 978-960-7143-40-2.
- S2CID 1565390.
- ^ "Menengiç Kahvesi Nedir? (Turkish)". harbiyiyorum.com. 14 November 2017.
- PMID 21292988. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ^ Ilan Ben Zion (28 August 2014). "Canaanite wine stash found in Galilee unearths ancient flavors". The Times of Israel.