Plants growing in the Sea of Galilee

A member of the Biblical Flora group asks,

I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of water plants grew in the Sea of Galilee. Reeds, seaweeds, water lilies…anything like that?

Here is a slide that I made in June, 1980, at the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee. I am not aware of the technical names of the plants, but it certainly shows a nice variety. Perhaps some other list member will be able to provide more information.

More recently, much of this area has been cleared for recreational use.

A secluded place on the NE corner of Sea of Galilee. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

When I made this photo I was thinking of the text in Mark which speaks of Jesus and His disciples going by boat to a desert (Greek, eremos) or secluded place.

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. (Mark 6:32 ESV)

The reference may be to the land area (cf. Mark 6:35), but it provides a good illustration of the type of place that could be reached by boat.

Those with an interest in Biblical Flora might enjoy being part of the group. Click here for information. J.P. van de Giessen is the list moderator.