It can't be factual. Mustard seeds *are* small but are larger than
many other seeds. The real clincher is that mustards (Brassicaceae)
are herbs and not shrubs (though some species can get large and rather
coarse). Whether something has gone awry in 2000 years of translation
or whether it wasn't meant to be taken with botanical exactitude is
open to debate. Either way, the *intent* of the quote is clear, I
think.
M. Reed
J K wrote:
>> Thank you for the reply, and for the e-mail replies.
>> What I was searching for I should have explained it in better terms. ---
> I was looking for the smallest seed that would produce the largest bush.
>> I was searching for a answer to a New Testament (bible) quote that
> mentions about the "mustard" seed. --- ( "It is the smallest of all the
> seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a
> large bush." )
>> I'm not a plant expert, so I posted here where all the experts on plants
> would be. --- My objective is to find out whether this bible quote is
> factual or not. It was wriitten hundreds of years ago. Written long
> before the planet was ever searched world wide by people, for new and
> different undiscovered plant species. --- This parable quote is in the
> New Testament "Matthew chapter 13:31-32" and is headed under; "The
> parable of the mustard seed."
>> Sorry for not explaining it fully the first time. I did not want anyone
> to think I sounded like a religious fanatic. I'm not a bible thumper,
> just investigating a little science for myself.