Israeli scientists have succeeded in growing a rare palm tree species that has been extinct for hundreds of years from a 2,000-year-old date seed found in the ancient fortress of Masada. The seed was given the name Methuselah after the oldest person in the Bible.
Project manager Sarah Sallon said only in a few years time will scientists know whether the already 1.2 0 meter tall palm tree will prove to be a fruit bearing female.
Sallon and her co worker plant specialist Elaine Solowey planted Methuselah together with two other date seeds found at the same location in 2005, but only Methuselah began sprouting. Sallon attributes the high temperatures and low precipitation in the Masada area as contributing to the seeds’ exceptional longevity.
Sallon noted that up until now the oldest seed to grow into a plant was a1,300 years old lotus found in a dried up lake in China.06/13/08
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