Phoenix theophrasti ancient Greek ‘father of botany,’ had described several types of palms, including one from Crete. Apart from the usually inedible dates and upright fruit clusters, the Cretan species can appear quite similar to the cultivated date ("Phoenix dactylifera"). "Phoenix theophrasti" grows up to 15 m tall, usually with several slender stems. The leaves are pinnate, 2–3 m long, with numerous rigid greyish-green linear leaflets 15–50 cm long on each side of the central rachis. Dead leaves are marcescent, remaining attached to the stem for years after withering. The fruit is an oval yellowish-brown drupe 1.5 cm long and 1 cm
Parable of the Olive Tree the ground and nourished it. In time some new branches appeared, but the top of the tree began to perish. So the master of the vineyard instructed his servant to cut off the decayed branches, and replace them with grafts of wild olives. Meanwhile, natural branches of the tree were transplanted to other parts of the vineyard. In time the original tree, now with wild olive branches grafted onto it, grew to give good fruit. Those natural branches of the original tree that were transplanted into poor soil also grew to give good fruit. However, a natural branch of the