Populus euphratica, Euphrates Poplar,
צפצפת הפרת
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
Psalm 137:1-3
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| | Scientific name: |
| Populus euphratica Oliver |
| Common name: |
| Euphrates Poplar, Firat poplar, Salt poplar |
| Hebrew name: |
| צפצפת הפרת |
| Family: |
| Salicaceae, ערבתיים |
Location: Ein Avdat; Date Picture Taken: May 9, 2009
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| | Life form: |
| Tree |
| Leaves: |
| Alternate, entire, smooth, dentate or serrate |
| Flowers: |
| No perianth |
| Flowering Period: |
| February, March, April |
| Habitat: |
| Humid habitats |
| Distribution: |
| Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts |
| Chorotype: |
| Irano-Turanian - Saharo-Arabian |
| Summer shedding: |
| Perenating |
| Protected Flower, צמח מוגן: |
| Yes |
Location: Ein Avdat; Date Picture Taken: May 9, 2009
Derivation of the botanical name:
Populus may be derived from arbor populi, the people's tree, since poplars have long been planted along streets.
euphratica, Ευφράτης Euphrátēs, for the Euphrates river in southwest Asia.
- The standard author abbreviation Oliv. is used to indicate Daniel Oliver (1830 – 1916), a British botanist.
The leaves of the Populus euphratica are polymorphic, that is, different leaves on the same tree or even the same branch may have strikingly different shapes. The leaf-blades on young plants and the sterile lower branches of older plants are linear to lanceolate and entire-mergined, while the leaves of fertile branches are elliptic, oblong, ovate, rhomboid, or deltoid in shape, cuneate to truncate at the base, ans often more or less irregularly dentate.
The bark of the Populus euphratica, unlike its close relative the white poplar, is not white nor do the leaves have a white undersurface. It can tolerate relatively high salinity.
The polymorphic leaves can be a reason for confusion and many modern Bible commentators agree that it was the Populus euphratica that was referred to in many Bible passages, like Leviticus 23:40, Leviticus 26:36, II Samuel 5:23-24, I Chronicles 14:14-15, Psalms 84:6, Psalms 137:2, and Isaiah 7:2.
The terms Aravah and Tzaftzafah are interchangeable.
What was once called Aravah is now called Tzaftzafah, and what was called
Tzaftzafah is now called Aravah. The original Aravah is a willow (Salix), and the
Tzaftzafah (Populus), are cottonwoods, poplars, and aspens.
Location: Ein Avdat; Date Picture Taken: May 9, 2009
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