Agrove is a small group oftrees with minimal or no undergrowth, or a smallorchard planted for thecultivation offruits ornuts. Naturally occurring groves are typically small, perhaps a few acres at most, such as asequoia grove. In contrast,orchards, which are normally intentional planting of trees, may be small or very large, like the apple orchards inWashington state, orange groves inFlorida and olive groves in Australia.[1]
A grove may be called an 'arbour' or 'arbor', which is not to be confused with the garden structurepergola, which also sometimes goes under that name.[2] Other words for groups of trees includewoodland,woodlot,thicket, andstand. Groves often contain plant and animal species that have become extinct in adjacent areas, and they harbor great genetic diversity. Therefore, they have becomebiodiversity hotspots, as various species seek refuge in the areas due to progressivehabitat destruction.[3][4]
The main meaning ofgrove is a group of trees that grow close together, generally without many bushes or other plants underneath. It is defined as "a smaller group of trees than a forest often withoutunderwood and planted or growing naturally as if arranged by art; a wood of small extent; a planting offruit or nut trees, an orchard".[2]
It is an old word in theEnglish language, with records of its use dating as far back as the late9th century asOld Englishgrāf,grāfa ('grove; copse') and subsequentlyMiddle Englishgrove,grave; these derive fromProto-West Germanic*graib, *graibō ('branch, group of branches, thicket'), fromProto-Germanic *graibaz, *graibô ('branch, fork'). It is related to Old Englishgrǣf,grǣfe ('brushwood; thicket; copse'), Old Englishgrǣfa ('thicket'), dialectal Norwegiangreive ('ram with splayed horns'), dialectalNorwegiangreivlar ('ramifications of an antler'), dialectal Norwegiangrivla ('to branch, branch out'), Old Norsegrein ('twig, branch, limb'), and cognate with modern Englishgreave.[5][6]
Historically, groves were considered sacred in pagan, pre-ChristianGermanic andCeltic cultures. Helen F. Leslie-Jacobsen argues that "we can assume that sacred groves actually existed due to repeated mentions in historiographical and ethnographical accounts. e.g.Tacitus,Germania."[7]Martin Luther (1483–1546) and laterFriedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724–1803) were responsible for the development and expansion of the term "grove" to pertained to a "cultivated and protected forest in which a deity is worshipped" and to an agricultural land like avineyard.[8]
Australia has several olive grove sites, particularly in the southern temperate regions of the country. Such sites are found in theHunter Valley in New South Wales,Yanchep National Park inWestern Australia,Laharum in theGrampians region of Victoria (which are one of the oldest olive groves in Australia),Goornong in theCity of Greater Bendigo, and in theMediterranean region ofPooraka inSouth Australia, which has the most established groves in Australia. The Bridgeward Grove in Goornong offers the property for various events and visits, and the Arolyn Grove in Hunter Valley is the region's highlight.[1]
The Fedra Olive Grove in Currawang, New South Wales won the prestigious 2020 Athena International Olive Oil Competition.[9]
InBuddhism, a grove symbolizes a peaceful forest space where transformative experiences may occur and inHinduism a grove symbolizes a holy sanctuary for saints and a place of exploration for ancestral contact.[10]
InIndia,sacred groves are forest fragments of varying sizes, which are communally protected, and which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community, and many of the groves are looked upon as dwellings ofHindu deities[11] Other forms of forest usage likehoney collection anddeadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis.Non-profit organizations work with local villagers to protect such groves. Traditionally, members of the community take turns to protect the grove. Around 14,000 sacred groves are reported across India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, amid rural and even urban settings.[12][13][14]
TheGarden of Eden, as portrayed in theBook of Genesis, is viewed as a divine grove.[15] InGethsemane, the olive grove whereJesus prayed before hiscrucifixion, Christians believe the garden symbolizes divine interaction with nature, marking a pivotal moment in Christian salvation-history.[16] Similarly,Abraham’s grove: "AndAbraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of God" (Genesis 21:33) emphasizes the religious importance of groves as sites for worship and connection to God.[17] Groves served as symbolic representations of deity as in2 Kings 23:7 where the women weave hangings for the grove.[18]
The worship ofAsherah and the use of groves were common in the ancient Near East, particularly among theCanaanites, and were generally located nearaltars or elevated places.[19] In ancientAssyria,Tiglath Pileser III hadmulberry anddate palm groves planted throughout his city walls.[20] InBabylonia and ancientMesopotamia in general, thick groves oftamarisk have been present along theEuphrates.[21]
Anoasis, which is a fertile area found in the arid regions of theGreater Middle East, is known for featuring palm groves.[22]
A famoussacred grove in mainland Greece was the oak grove atDodona. Outside the walls ofAthens, the site of thePlatonic Academy was a sacred grove of olive trees, still recalled in the phrase "the groves of Academe". In central Italy, the town ofNemi recalls theLatinnemus Aricinum, or "grove ofAriccia", a small town a quarter of the way around the lake. In antiquity, the area had no town, but the grove was the site of one of the most famous of Roman cults and temples: that ofDiana Nemorensis.[23] The city ofMassilia, a Greek colony, had a sacred grove so close by it thatJulius Caesar had it cut down to facilitate hissiege.[24]
Baltic groves date back to 1075 whenAdam of Bremen notedBaltic Prussian sacred groves and springs whose sacredness was believed to be polluted by the entry of Christians (solus prohibetur accessus lucorum et fontium, quos autumant pollui christianorum accessu). A few sacred groves inSambian Peninsula are mentioned in the 14th-century documents of theTeutonic Order (sacra sylva, que Scayte vulgariter nominatur..., silva, quae dicitur Heyligewalt...).[25]
TheCelts used sacred groves for performing rituals, based onCeltic mythology. Existence of such groves have been found in Germany, Switzerland,Czech Republic and Hungary in Central Europe, in many sites of ancientGaul in France, as well as England andNorthern Ireland.[26][27]
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