Atlantic terebinth

Atlantic terebinth

A sacred tree on the hilltop

אלה אטלנטיתPistacia atlantica

The Atlantic terebinth is a large, slow-growing tree, often seen alone on a hilltop or beside a tomb. Local communities have long treated such trees as holy, and visitors sometimes tie strips of cloth to the branches. The Hebrew name ela appears in the Bible, and the Valley of Elah, where David is said to have fought Goliath, is named after the tree. It can live for hundreds of years, and its small red berries are eaten by birds.

Glossary: Atlantic terebinth