Calamus

Calamus (from the Greek kalamos, a reed) was an aromatic plant used in ancient Israel as one of the chief spices in the holy anointing oil prescribed by God to Moses (Exodus 30:23). It was also traded through the port of Tyre alongside cassia and cinnamon (Ezekiel 27:19) and is mentioned in the Song of Solomon (4:14) among the choicest fragrant plants of the garden. The prophet Isaiah refers to it as a costly import that Israel failed to bring as an offering to God (Isaiah 43:24). Calamus is generally identified with sweet cane or sweet flag (Acorus calamus), a marsh plant with a sweet-scented rhizome native to India and widely traded throughout the ancient Near East.