Date & Maple

The Darlings I Killed

In the second of my three posts in my ‘The Darlings I Killed’ series I am looking at the Date and the Maple, two trees that again had far too much magic to fit into one entry. To find out more about these posts click here and to find out which bits of Date and Maple didn’t make the cut; read on.

The Date Tree

John Aubrey, a 17th century natural philosopher and writer recorded that ground date stones were once used as a remedy for gallstones. An example of what might be referred to as sympathetic magic or at the very least follows the ideas set out in the Doctrine of Signatures; the idea that a plant may cure that which it looks like. For example walnuts are good for the brain as they resemble a tiny brain and pomegranates the teeth on account of the placing of the seeds and pith inside. In Persia dates are valued for their ability to help with digestive complaints, their rich iron content and their energy boosting sugar.

In Southern province of Alicante Spain there is a large UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), protected date palm plantation known as the Palme Grove of Elche (also known as The Palmeral). It is a palm grove in the heart of the city of Elche and has a history that dates back to the Roman period. Through the centuries it has seen various changes including being moved around 7km from its original location.

The city was relocated in the 10th century during Islamic occupation and is a unique example of Arab farming techniques in Europe. Essentially an artificial oasis of seventy orchards and around 45,000 date palms, the trees were originally planted to help prevent soil erosion, keep the water in the soil, provide shade and protect the crops as a wind break.

Photo by Roman Rezor on Unsplash

‘Look to the date palm for sustenance in the desert’ p133, Tree Lore, Dawn Nelson

Maple

Across the world there are around 130 species of tree in the maple (Acer) family, many of which are known for their glorious autumn colour. The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) has inspired the tradition known as momijigari (maple leaf hunting) thought to date back to the eighth century. This is a form of nature walk in November/December, to honour the trees, in which you observe the changing colours of the season rather than collecting any of the leaves.

The seeds of the maple tree are very particular and will only germinate once they have had around forty-five days of temperatures at four centigrade or thirty-nine Fahrenheit. This is in order to break down the outer shell and release the seed.

The sugar maple is integral to the Canadian economy and identity even appearing on the Canadian Flag. The first peoples had many stories that featured the sugar maple one of which was from the Iroquois and told the tale of four famous hunters and their dog, who were hunting a monstrous bear that was terrorising the locals. There is a lot more to this story but I cannot find a primary source for this one so I will leave the Iroquois to tell the full tale, but this story is linked to the constellation of the Great Bear and it is believed that on a clear autumn night, you can see the four warriors chasing the bear.

Photo by Richard Lin on Unsplash

‘Look to the maple for the sweetness in life’ p85, Tree Lore, Dawn Nelson

You can read more about the Date and the Maple, in the words that made the cut in Tree Lore, published by Countryman Press.

Tree Lore is available in print in the US and as an audio book with Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Hoopla Digital