Punica granatum

A deciduous tree growing to 5m height and 8m width at a medium rate, hardy to UK zone 9. It flowers from June to September and is self-fertile. The plant attracts wildlife and thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils with good drainage. It tolerates both mildly acidic and basic soils, requires full sun, and adapts to dry or moist conditions.

Description

A shrub. It grows up to 2-6 m tall. It has short thorns. It can grow up to 10 m tall. Usually trees lose their leaves at one season during the year. The trunk is covered by reddish-brown bark. Trees often sucker near the base. The leaves are opposite, entire and 8 cm x 1.5 cm. Leaves narrow towards the base. It has large scarlet flowers. These are at the ends of branches. 1-3 flowers occur together. The fruit is round, leathery skinned and up to 10 cm across. It is yellow brown in colour. Inside there are angular hard seeds in a juicy yellow pulp. The seeds are 10 mm long. There are many named varieties.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw — juicy and refreshing with a sub-acid flavour, though opinions vary due to the large number of seeds relative to pulp. The juice works well in soups, sauces, jellies, ice cream and cakes. Fresh fruit contains approximately 1.5% protein, 1.6% fat, 16.8% carbohydrate and 0.6% ash. Wild trees in the Himalayas average annual yields of around 32kg per tree, with individual fruits reaching about 12cm in diameter. The fresh seed is soft enough to eat raw; when dried it is used as a seasoning in dal, fried samosa, stuffings and chutneys. The boiled leaves are also said to be eaten. Dry weight nutritional figures per 100g: 362 calories; protein 5g; fat 2.2g; carbohydrate 90.5g; fibre 12g; ash 2.6g; calcium 40mg; phosphorus 180mg; iron 3mg; sodium 4.35mg; potassium 1250mg; vitamin A 90mg; thiamine 0.27mg; riboflavin 0.25mg; niacin 3.2mg; vitamin C 43mg.

Traditional Uses

The juicy pulp around the seeds is eaten. The juice can be used for a drink. It provides a red colour. The seeds are dried with their aril and used in the Indian condiment Anardana. The fruit are used in sauces, soups, meat dishes, salads and other dishes. The flowers are eaten. Boiled leaves are also reported as eaten.

Medicinal Uses

The pomegranate has a herbal history stretching back more than 3,000 years. All parts contain unusual alkaloids called pelletierines, which paralyse tapeworms so they can be expelled with a laxative. The plant is also rich in tannin, making it an effective astringent used externally for vaginal discharges, mouth sores and throat infections. The whole plant, and the bark in particular, is antibacterial, antiviral and astringent — though this remedy should be used with caution as overdoses can be toxic. Flowers are used for dysentery, stomach ache and cough, and along with leaves and seeds have been used to expel worms. Flower juice treats nosebleeds. The seeds are demulcent and stomachic; a seed decoction is used for syphilis. The fruit is a mild astringent and refrigerant in fevers, especially biliousness, and is also cardiac and stomachic. Fruit juice treats jaundice and diarrhoea; combined with Cynodon dactylon leaf juice it is used for colds and runny noses. Dried fruit rind treats amoebic dysentery and diarrhoea and is a specific remedy for tapeworm; it is also ground in water and drunk each morning by diabetics. The dried pericarp is decocted with other herbs to treat colic, dysentery and leucorrhoea. Stem bark is emmenagogue; both stem and root bark expel tapeworms — the root bark should be used with particular caution as it can cause serious poisoning. Bark is harvested in autumn and dried for storage. An ethyl alcohol extract of the fruit has shown oestrogenic properties and has been shown to reduce oxidative cell death, giving the plant potential as an ingredient in preparations for treating skin ageing in post-menopausal women.

Known Hazards

Take recommended doses. Overdose symptoms include: gastric irritation, vomiting, dizziness, chills, vision disorders, collapse and death.

Distribution

A Mediterranean climate plant. It is native from SE Europe to the Himalayas. It suits drier subtropical climates. It suits areas with a long hot dry summer and cool winter. A temperature of 35-38°C is best for good fruit development. A humid climate affects fruit formation. They can tolerate some salinity. It can grow in soils with a wide range of pH. They have borne fruit in Papua New Guinea at 1620 m altitude. They are mostly coastal up to 500 m in the tropics. Trees are severely damaged by temperatures below -11°C. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In Nepal they grow to about 2700 m altitude. It grows in the drier parts of West Africa. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa. It suits hardiness zone 8-11.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Andaman Is., Andes, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Arabia, Armenia, Aruba, Asia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Balkans, Bangladesh, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central America, Central Asia, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Dagestan, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran*, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mediterranean*, Mexico, Middle East, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, NW India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Romania, Rotuma, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St Lucia, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey*, Turkmenistan, Uganda, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, West Timor, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

An easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained fertile soil and succeeds in a hot dry position. Requires a sheltered sunny position. Not very hardy in Britain, the pomegranate tolerates temperatures down to about -11°c, but it is best grown on a south facing wall even in the south of the country because it requires higher summer temperatures than are normally experienced in this country in order to ripen its fruit and its wood. The wood is also liable to be cut back by winter frosts when it is grown away from the protection of a wall. Trees do not grow so well in the damper western part of Britain. Most plants of this species grown in Britain are of the dwarf cultivar 'Nana'. This is hardier than the type but its fruit is not such good quality. This sub-species fruited on an east-facing wall at Kew in the hot summer of 1989. The pomegranate is often cultivated in warm temperate zones for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties. In Britain fruits are only produced after very hot summers. Plants often sucker freely. Flowers are produced on the tips of the current years growth. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. Heat zone: 12-7. Espalier: tree or other plant that is trained to grow flat against a support (such as a trellis or wall). Pomegranates are typically harvested in the autumn depending on the climate and variety. The flowering period usually occurs in late spring to early summer. Pomegranate trees are considered moderately fast-growing, reaching a height of 10 to 12 feet (3 to 4 meters) in about 3 to 4 years under optimal conditions. Pomegranate trees are generally self-fertile, but cross-pollination can improve fruit set and quality.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse, preferably at 22°C. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on under glass for at least two growing seasons before planting out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 4–5cm with a heel, can be taken in June or July in a frame with a good success rate. Hardwood cuttings 20–25cm long can be taken in November in a warm greenhouse. Layering is also effective. Suckers can be divided during the dormant season and planted directly into permanent positions, though potting them first and planting out when growing well in late spring or early summer is preferable.

Other Uses

Pomegranates can serve as windbreaks, hedgerows or landscape plants, and improve soil health through organic matter from leaf drop. Suitable uses include border, container, espalier, foundation, hedge and mass planting. The tree is deep-rooting and important for erosion control, particularly for stabilising riverbanks. It is drought-tolerant and suited to arid and semi-arid zone reforestation. Leaf litter decomposes slowly and can be used as mulch. The plant is also used in water purification schemes. In northwestern Himalayan communities it is grown in living fences to exclude livestock, mark land boundaries and provide medicinal and other resources. A red dye is obtained from the flowers and from the rind of unripe fruits; it can also yield a black dye and serves as an ink in coppery-brown colour, requiring no mordant. A fast yellow dye comes from the dried rind. The dried peel contains around 26% tannin; the bark is also a tannin source; root bark contains about 22% tannin and yields a jet-black ink. The wood is very hard, compact, close-grained, durable and yellow in colour, used for agricultural implements and as a possible substitute for box (Buxus spp.). Flowers attract pollinators, especially bees. Fruits provide food for birds and small mammals, and the dense foliage offers shelter for small birds and insects. Leaf litter and rough bark provide overwintering habitat for invertebrates.

Production

Plants grow quickly. Trees bear after about 2-3 years. Fruiting is seasonal. The season tends to be Dec. to May. The tree loses its vigour after about 15 years but trees can live for many years. The pomegranate is self-pollinated as well as cross-pollinated by insects. Cross-pollination increases the fruit set. Fruit matures 5 to 7 months after flowering. Fruit need to be picked when mature to prevent splitting. Fruit do not ripen further after harvesting. Fruit develop a distinctive colour and have a metallic sound when tapped, when they are ripe. A well maintained tree can produce 150-200 fruit in a year.

Other Information

Occurs in some areas of Papua New Guinea. It is an important cultivated food plant. It is sold in local markets.

Notes

There are 2 Punica species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ananghorai, Anangori, Anar, Annaaru, Anor, Bakoh, Bedana, Brots'eili, Chimanga cha chizungu, Daaru, Dadam, Dadima, Dahua, Dalemshing, Dalim, Dalima, Dalimba, Dango, Danimma, Daroo, Darooni, Daroye, Daru, Delima, Delum, Delun, Dharek, Divlja sipak, Dulim, Dulima, Enkomamawanga, Gangsalan, Granaatappel, Granada, Granada cordelina, Granada enana, Granado, Granatapgelbaum, Granatno jabolko, Grenade, Hanar, Hennar, Hinar, Hta, Jangali anar, Kalumal, Limoni, Ljuti sipak, Lu'u, Madalai, Madulai, Magraner, Mak-sang, Matalam, Melograna, Melograno, Mkomamanga, Mogranata, Mukomamanga, Nar, Nargos, Nkoma mawanga, Nkomawawanga, Nur, Phila, Remuno, Rimman, Roma, Romazeira, Romeira, Rudi, Salebin, Se-bru, Shi liu pi, Shi liu, Soekryunamu, Tabilin, Tab sim, Thale-thi, Thapthim, Totim, Tuptim, Turchi, Zakuro

References (174)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
• Addis, G., et al, 2005, Ethnobotanical Study of Edible Wild Plants in Some Selected Districts of Ethiopia. Human Ecology, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 83-118
• Afzal, S., et al, 2009, Ethno-botanical Studies from Northern Pakistan. J. Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 21(1)
• Ahmad, K. & Pieroni, A., 2016, Folk knowledge of wild food plants among the tribal communities of Thakht-e-Sulaiman Hills, North-West Pakistan. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12:17
• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 505

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