Spikenard
nerd H5373
nardos G3487
Nardostachys jatamansi
Caprifoliaceae, Honeysuckle Family
Mary picked up an alabaster jar with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume—the purest extract of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house.
John 12:3 TPT
Read more on spikenard in the devotions series on En Gedi from the Garden Tour section, beginning on page a-16 in God’s Word for Gardeners Bible
They grow like an orchard of pomegranate trees and bear the finest fruits. There is no lack of henna and nard, of saffron, calamus, and cinnamon, or incense of every kind. Myrrh and aloes grow there with all the most fragrant perfumes.
Song of Songs 4:12-14 GNT
Cultural Information
| Type | Perennial |
| Soil | gravel, well-draining |
More Research
See Blog Posts on SpikenardThe enthralling list of scented spices in the lovers’ romantic garden was largely an imported catalog from the Far East (Song of Songs 4:13 – 14). Solomon, traditionally credited as being the author of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, was renowned for his knowledge of plant life (1 Kings 4:33), and might have sought these species from merchants, gathering a fantastic and luxuriant world-wide collection for his own gardens (Ecclesiastes 2:5; Song of Songs 3:6)...Several from this list — nard (spikenard), incense (frankincense) and myrrh — blessed Jesus (Matthew 2:11; Mark 14:3).
-from the NIV God's Word for Gardeners Bible
They grow like an orchard of pomegranate trees and bear the finest fruits. There is no lack of henna and nard, of saffron, calamus, and cinnamon, or incense of every kind. Myrrh and aloes grow there with all the most fragrant perfumes.
Song of Songs 4:12-14 GNT
Photo Credits
© Ziprashantzi | Dreamstime.com Photo 16618283 | Nardostachys Jatamansi rhizomes of spikenard, also called muskroot
From www.plantillustrations.org, botanical illustration of Nardostachys jatamansi by T.F.L. Nees von Esenbeck and M.F. Wijhe (Weyhe), Plantae medicinales, Supplement (1828-1833) Plate 58
©Bing Liu from Plants of the World Online by Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens Nardostachys jatamansi – Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China. Borrowed from Plants of the World Online, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Please see Kew website for copyright information: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:859418-1
