Some have therefore argued that the plant must be Citrus medica, the Citron. Song of Solomon 7:13 says: “the mandrakes give forth fragrance,” and it is this statement that has made some feel that the plant could not have been Mandragora, which has no definite scent-no more, for instance, than that of the tomato. Rachael was able to conceive Jacob with the help of a mandrake root. In Christianity, the mandrake can be found in the first book of the Bible. Mandrake berries are orange or deep yellow and are considered an aphrodisiac. The mandrake’s roots look like a small human. There is little doubt that its amorous properties are pure superstition, but the plant is certainly found in Pal. The mandrake was thought to scream as it was pulled from the ground. The yellow plum-like fruits invariably lie in the middle of the rosette of leaves, rather like the eggs of some bird in a nest. It gives the alternative name as “devil’s apple.” This plant has a large tap root it produces leaves like a primrose, and blue or greenish-white flowers similar to those of the potato. The Royal Horticultural Society’s dictionary names the plant Mandragora officinarum, and describes the fruit as a globose berry. Its near relation, Atropa belladonna, is, of course, the source of Atropine, an important medicinal drug. Because of its “sex” reputation, it is called by the Arabs “a devil’s apple.” The description in Genesis of Rachel’s conversation with Leah certainly gives the impression that the mandrake was thought to be a love potion. The Medieval Health Handbook: Tacuinum Sanitatis. For a discussion of mandrake fruit in biblical tradition, and a chemical analysis of its aromatic constituents, see Fleisher and Fleisher. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy sons mandrake s. For more on mandrake and its properties, see last month’s post The Mandrakes Bloom Again, (March 23, 2012). This plant bears yellow fruits, somewhat smaller than the tomato, and has an “acquired,” pleasant taste. 14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrake s in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. It is thought that the mandrake is Atropa mandragora, which is like the deadly nightshade, and therefore a member of the same family. As the Bible so accurately describes, the mandrake often grows as a weed in wheat fields. The old-fashioned name of the tomato ( Solanum esculentum) was love apple. Mandrake is a member of the nightshade family that includes some of the most poisonous plants such as nightshade, jimsonweed, tobacco and, paradoxically, some of the most common vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, green pepper, and eggplants. The mandrake was obviously rare, and was supposed to have aphrodisiac properties. Mandrake is generally accepted to be the “love apple.” Mentioned 5 times in Genesis 30, and once in Song of Solomon 7:13. Genesis 30:14 Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to.