Scientists led by Dr. Sarah Sallon at Hadassah University Medical Center spent 14 years attempting to sprout the seed and grow a plant from it, partly in order to determine its origins.
Finally producing a sapling they call “Sheba”, the researchers have identified the ancient tree as a unique type of Commiphora tree that grew in the Levant region of what is now known as Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, and Jordan.
The tree is the first of its kind ever discovered as a living specimen, helping researchers hone in on agricultural methods and uses of the ancient tree.
