Sycamore (scientific name: Ficus sycomorus) is a Ficus kind of tree species from the mulberry family, which includes about 1,000 species. Sycamore trees are most common in the warm regions of the earth. Sycamore is a wild tree in East Africa but has been distributed by man to the middle east, therefore creating the middle eastern sycamore tree we can see in Israel.
In Israel, sycamore trees grow mainly in the coastal plain and in the lowlands. In the past they had economic value, bone was used for carpentry, and the fruit was eaten. Over the years, sycamore trees have dwindled throughout the country but centuries-old trees can still be found.
Middle Eastern Sycamore Trees
The middle eastern sycamore tree is a cultural refugee – a tree brought and planted by man. In the area of origin, the sycamore is pollinated by ficus lice that lay their eggs into the sycamore fruit, causing the fruit to fertilize. Since these lice are not found in Israel, the sycamore can only reproduce from cuttings, and all the known sycamore trees in the country of Israel have been planted by man. These trees were brought to the holy land thousands of years ago through Egypt. They were planted mainly because sycamore was known for its straight and strong beams that could be produced from it.
Sycamore blooms almost all year round. Its flowers are unisexual. An inflorescence, in the form of a peg typical of other ficus species such as fig, has also earned the nickname Jomes. It is good for human consumption, but inferior in taste to figs, and today it has no commercial value. However, it attracts fruit bats, which feed on it and have become part of the natural landscape in cities such as Tel Aviv. In the Land of Israel, unlike other places, sycamore pegs ripen into fruit, but can not produce seeds, as the environment is missing a particular species of ficus lice that pollinate them (as we already mentioned).
Sycamore Tree in the Bible
In the Bible, the sycomore is referred to seven times in the Old Testament.
In the Psalms, sycomores are listed with vines as sources of food destroyed in the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. This verse implies that Ficus sycomorus could not survive in the mountainous regions of Palestine and Egypt (“He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycomore trees with frost.” Ps 78:47).
King David appointed an officer to look after the olives and sycomores of the western foothills (1Chron 27:28). King Solomon made cedars as common as sycamores (1Kings 10:27), And the prophet Isaiah also makes a contrast between sycamores and cedars while condemning his people’s arrogance (Isaiah 9:10).
Even in those days, they knew that sycamore is an excellent tree for construction, which is not affected by weather changes. So why did King Solomon not use the common sycamore and insist on importing cedars from Lebanon? Maybe because he preferred a luxurious global brand over the local cheaper product, who knows.
The prophet Amos refers to his secondary occupation as a dresser or tender of sycamores. This involved slashing the fruits to induce ripening (Amos 7:14).
Sycamore Tree in a Talmudic Legend
When a child was born in Israel, his father used to plant a sycamore tree, and when the child was ten years old, the father and son went out to the sycamore and sawed off the main trunk. This breed is called the “Sycamore Virgin”. The father gave the sycamore virgin to his son and said to him, “This sycamore virgin is yours.”
Every year the stump grew more branches, and the boy would thin out the wicker, leaving only the beautiful and strong ones in them, and when they thickened and were strong enough he would cut them down, and add them to the beam.
When the son married, he used the sycamore beams he had stored to build his house.
By the sea, near Nahariya, grows an ancient sycamore tree that many legends have told about. This sycamore stands on the road that separates the Upper Galilee and the Lower Galilee and serves as a border sign, and as a symbol of peace among the inhabitants of the area. When they made a covenant of peace, they would gather near the sycamore to offer a sacrifice and pray that the covenant would last forever. Why there?
It is told that in ancient times, there were many land disputes between the people of the Upper Galilee and the Lower Galilee – so the elders set out to set the boundaries precisely, to stop the quarrels. The tradition was that the people of the Lower Galilee were growing sycamores and the people of the Upper Galilee did not grow sycamores, so they walked along the sycamores and set the borders there. Since then there has been peace between the people of the Upper Galilee and the people of the Lower Galilee. And why was the middle eastern sycamore tree was chosen as a sign of the border? Because it stands firm and lasts a long time.
Liked this post regarding nature in Israel? Check out our post about the Persian Fallow Deer!