433 
ON THE MUSTAIID PLANT 
translation of his work; and Russel, in his History of Aleppo, 
besides monospermouscharlock, field charlock, and mountain 
charlock, mentions field mithridate mustard, mountain mi- 
thridate mustard, and bastard mithridate mustard. 
It is desirable th^t the history of all these plants should 
be given, before we determine about the species of mustard, 
mentioned in the Gospels ; and travellers into western Asia, 
or systematic writers on Botany, ought to be consulted, who 
have left notices, or published accounts of these plants. 
The black or common mustard, which is an annual in 
Britain, and never rises above two or three feet, cannot with 
any propriety be called a tree ; but if this plant, as some 
have said, exist more than one season in Palestine, or finish 
its growth in two years, and rise to the height of ten or 
twelve feet, it may have some of that woody texture, which 
may justify the language of the country in calling it a tree. 
That the plant which the ancient Jews called mustard, 
grew to a considerable height, and that its branches were 
fitted to be a resting place to birds, and a shelter to men, 
B-abbinical assertions authorize us to believe. In the Je- 
rusalem Talmud, one relates, that he had a mustard plant 
in his farm, which he was accustomed to climb, as if it had 
been a fig-tree. Another in the same record speaks of a 
mustard tree, which had three branches, one of which, 
when torn down, afforded a shade to a potter while work- 
ing during summer weather, and from which three cabs of 
seed were taken, or three pints one-third, English measure. 
As a proof of the height at least, to which the mustard 
plant grows in Syria, we may quote these words from the 
travels of Captains Irby and Mangles, Letter v. page 354, 
" We think it probable, that this is the tree our Saviour 
alluded to, in the parable of the mustard seed, and not the 
mustard plant, which we have in the north. For, although 
in our journey from Byson to Adjeloun, mentioned in the 
