In article ,
David Hill wrote:
On 16/10/2013 11:04, Chris Hogg wrote:

This mat be of interest to those who throw out old seeds
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sc...stockpile.html

Very interesting. See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean_date_palm

Makes you wonder if the Svalbard seed bank on Spitsbergen is in the
right place!

Dates are exceptional plants, and both they and their seeds are
extremely drought and heat resistant.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I did wonder afterwards, if the palm became extinct in 150AD, how do
they know that these seeds are of that species? I don't really doubt
that they do know, they have ways and means after all, perhaps via DNA
from archeological plant remains, and/or determining that it's not
like any species known today, but it's still an interesting question,
as is why it went extinct in the first place, being apparently a
widely grown and commercially valued plant.

Actually 500AD but still a long time ago.
In those days I doubt they grew a range of different varieties, if you
had one that worked in your area then "if it aint broke don't fix it".
Then if the invading armies destroyed all the tree then that was it,
though why they couldn't grow again from date stones I don't know.
Probably easier and quicker to bring in new plants .

I wouldn't trust what either that article or Wikipedia says too far.
Remember that, in modern Israel, history is regarded as a political
tool, and the Zionists are among the more extreme revisionists active
today. While there is no doubt that the Romans did destroy the palms
in Palestine as a matter of policy, it is implausible that they were
responsible for the disappearance of the variety. Inter alia, Rome
all but collapsed round about 400 AD and Palestine was ruled from
Byzantium (later Constantinople, later Istanbul).

It is far more likely that the local farmers replanted (when they did)
with other varieties.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.