The WALA Plant Library
Pomegranate

Synonyms for Pomegranate: Apple of Granada, Grenadier
Scientific Name: Punica granatum L.
Family: Punicaceae (pomegranate family)

Description:

The pomegranate is just as we expect the orient to be: opulent, deep-red and heavy on the outside, and on the inside full of plump, juicy cushions in which we find the seeds. Around 400 in number, they huddle together within structured compartments - so tightly that they can only be removed with difficulty. The outside of this striking fruit – which is botanically a false berry – looks hard and leathery. It grows on trees which can reach a height of up to five metres, although cultivated plants are usually pruned to shrub form. From July to September its branches bear large red flowers with a striking, crown-like calyx. These produce the sought-after fruits which ripen from September to December. Incidentally, unlike other fruits pomegranates do not continue to ripen after picking. Botanists describe such fruits by the curious technical term “non-climacteric fruit”.