THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 153 
there should be among you a root that beareth gall and worm- 
wood,” and Heb. 12 ch., 15, “lest any root of bitterness spring- 
ing up trouble you,” to express that which is odious or dele- 
terious spiritually. Again (Lam. 3 ch., 15, 19) “He hath filled 
me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood” 
and “the wormwood and the gall,” refer to the stupefying effect 
of wormwood. The mixture offered to Christ on the cross has 
already been mentioned. The way of the wicked is likened to 
wormwood (Prov. 5 ch., 4) and in the description of the great 
plague (Rev. 8 ch., 11) the third’ part of the waters became 
wormwood. Another species (A. absinthium) constitutes the 
principal ingredient in the stupefying French drink absinthe. 
' Perfumes and Incense. Most of the perfumes and allied 
articles used in the religious ceremonies of the Jews were im- 
ported from India or Arabia. Spikenard consists of the dried 
shoots* of Nardostachys jatamansi, a plant from the Himalayas. 
It is best known as the chief ingredient of the “ointment of 
spikenard very costly” with which Mary anointed the feet of 
Jesus (John 12 ch., 3). The aloes of the Bible had no re- 
lation to our bitter aloe, but was a sweet scented resin yielded 
by an Indian tree, (Aquilaria agallochum). Myrrh is a gum re- 
sin the product of Balsamodendron myrrha an Arabian plant, 
and was an essential ingredient in preparing the holy oil for 
use in the Tabernacle (Hixod. 30 ch., 23). Frankincense, an- 
other fragrant gum-resin was derived from ‘the sap of Boswellia 
Cartert of Arabia. It was an ingredient of incense. Balm of 
Gilead, a product of Balsamodendron gileadense a native of 
Arabia and Africa. Tradition says that the plant was given. to 
Solomon by the Queen of Sheba and planted by him in the 
plains of Jericho. The judgment on Israel is pathetically closed 
by the Prophet (Jer. 8 ch., 22), “Is there no balm in Gilead? 
is there no physician there?” and again (Jer. 46 ch., 11), and 
in other places, it is used in a similar sense. It was a mixture 
of myrrh and aloes that was provided by Nicodemus for the 
purpose of embalming the body of Jesus (John 19 ch., 39). 
Cinnamon and Cassia were ingredients of the Holy oil or oint- 
ment of the Tabernacle (Exod. 30 ch., 23). Saffron, the dried 
stigmas of a crocus (C. sativus) is vith spikenard mentioned in 
Song. Sol. 4 ch., 14, as growing in the garden of fountains. 
Prickly plants. A considerable number of Hebrew words 
are indifferently rendered “bramble,” “brier,” “thorn,” “thistle,” 
but as the use is always figurative, it is probable that no parti- 
cular one of these is meant. 
Interest naturally centres around the plant which composed 
