The Rose of Sharon (Shoshana) debate
in reply to a message by pashute
The actual identity of biblical plants is an ongoing (and sometimes hotly contested) debate. The current forerunners for the Rose of Sharon identity are:
Lilium candidum, the Casablanca or Madonna Lily (pictured in the florist link supplied by Pashute) This theory is supported by the research of Israeli botanist Michael Zohary.
Tulipa montana (altenately Tulipa wilsoniana) and/or Tulipa sharonensis, wild tulips that grow on the coastal plain of Sharon.
Narcissus odorus, Sweet-scented Narcissus/Jonquil
And there are several more contenders. Simply put: botanists, the Biblical translators weren't.
Lilium candidum, the Casablanca or Madonna Lily (pictured in the florist link supplied by Pashute) This theory is supported by the research of Israeli botanist Michael Zohary.
Tulipa montana (altenately Tulipa wilsoniana) and/or Tulipa sharonensis, wild tulips that grow on the coastal plain of Sharon.
Narcissus odorus, Sweet-scented Narcissus/Jonquil
And there are several more contenders. Simply put: botanists, the Biblical translators weren't.