‘I am a Rose of Sharon…’ (SS2:1)
This is what the Beloved says to her Lover!
Sharon is a very fertile area in Israel.
Nobody knows exactly what ‘the Rose of Sharon’ is. The word ‘Rose’ in Hebrew is not what we call it today. There were no roses in Biblical times in that area.
So, the Rose of Sharon is still a mystery. Below are two possible options, one wild and one domesticated, but both are beautiful flowers, with exquisite fragrances.

1-The Sea Daffodil
This is a stunning wild flower which appears on the wild beaches of the Mediterranean Sea in late summer. It grows from a bulb. The leaves come out in winter and dry out before the flower appears. The flower is endangered because its natural habitat – sandy beaches – is developed for tourism. The flowers have a pleasing, exotic and very subtle lily scent, which only becomes apparent during still, windless summer nights that allow the delicate fragrance to become perceptible. Flowering is from August to October. Many people have tried to plant it in other places but it refused to bloom outside its own habitat.

2-The Saffron flower!
This plant grows along the Mediterranean Sea and Iran. It has been described since the 7th Century BC.
The Saffron plant does not grow in the wild. It does not produce seeds so it cannot reproduce by itself. It has to be re-planted artificially by men from the bulbs. The flowers possess a sweet honey-like fragrance, are purple in color and they bloom for a short harvest season only in October.
At the center of each flower there are three orange-red prongs coming out. These are collected by hand and dried, making saffron to be the most expensive spice in the world. To glean a kilogram of saffron spice requires 110,000–170,000 flowers. Forty hours of labor are needed to pick 150,000 flowers. The price is about US$1,100–11,000/kg.
Saffron is used in cooking, giving the food an orange color and a very good taste. It is also used in producing dye for fabrics, to make perfumes and as medicine against cancer, depression and diseases of the eyes.

O…the mystery of the Word of God…Two different flowers, one is white and one if purple; purity and royalty…
But one thing I know, whatever you are, Rose of Sharon, I know that you are beautiful!
For Christ sees me beautiful as I spread His fragrance to all!
‘Let my Lover come into His garden and taste its choice fruits’ (SS 4:16)