Cercis siliquastrum, Juda's Tree,
ذادي, Dhadi, כליל החורש
"Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself".
Matthew 27:5
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| | Scientific name: |
| Cercis siliquastrum L. |
| Common name: |
| Juda's Tree |
| Hebrew name: |
| כליל החורש, Clil Hahoresh |
| Arabic name: |
| ذادي, Dhadi |
| Family: |
| Caesalpiniaceae, כליליים |
Date Picture Taken: March 12, 2008
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| | Life form: |
| Tree |
| Leaves: |
| Alternate, entire, smooth, round or heart-shaped |
| Flowers: |
| Small clusters of pink, violet flowers, produced along the branches and trunk before the leaves appear. |
| Flowering Period: |
| March, April |
| Habitat: |
| Mediterranean maquis and forest |
| Distribution: |
| Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon |
| Chorotype: |
| Mediterranean |
| Summer shedding: |
| Perenating |
Date Picture Taken: March 2, 2007
Derivation of the botanical name:
Cercis, Greek, kerkis, the redbud, "Judas Tree" came from the story of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ. It is said when he hung himself on one of these trees, the flowers turned from white to red because of his blood and the tree's shame. It has been known as "Judas-tree" for well over two hundred years and just how it was that tradition selected this tree, is not clear.
siliquastrum, siliqua, pod of a legume; astrum, suffix to nouns indicating incomplete likeness or inferiority, often used to distinguish a wild from a cultivated kind; siliqua (pod) like.
- The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
In Acts 1:24-25 ("Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.") it is definitely implied that Judas did not die by hanging.
Date Picture Taken: January 12, 2007
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