CSIR-NEERI Biodiversity Portal

POMEGRANATE

Punica granatum(L.)

Botanical name	: Punicagranatum (L.)
Synonym	: Punica malus
Vernacular name	: Aanar
Family	: Punicaceae
About the Tree	: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an attractive eye-catching, extremely long-lived shrub or small tree that produces striking red flowers and the signature round fruit full of hundreds of seed sacs.The tree itself varies in appearance from drooping to erect. The pomegranate tree is native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region of Asia, Africa and Europe.
Height	: The pomegranate grows naturally as a tree 20 to 30 feet high.
Bark	: The trunk is more or less rounded, erect, and ramified, with alternate open branches, sometimes prickly at the apex. The ageing bark shows cracks and takes on a greyish colour. It appears knotted ant twisted.
Leaf	: Deciduous leaves are opposite, or in whorls, approximately 3/8 to 4 inches long glossy, narrow oblong, entire, 3-7 cm long and 2 cm broad.
Flower	: The flowers are bright red and 3 cm in diameter and characterized by the thick, tubular, red calyx having 5 to 8 fleshy, pointed sepals forming a vase from which emerge the 3 to 7 crinkled, red, white or variegated petals enclosing the numerous stamens. Nearly round, but crowned at the base by the prominent calyx.
Fruits	: The fruit has a leathery skin, fruit, 2 1/2 to 5 in wide, has a tough, leathery skin or rind, usually deep pink or red. The interior is separated by membranous walls and white spongy tissue (rag) into compartments packed with transparent sacs filled with tart, flavorful, fleshy, juicy, red, pink or whitish pulp (technically the aril). In each sac, there is one white or red, angular, soft or hard seed. The seeds represent about 52% of the weight of the whole fruit.
Season	: It is in flower from June to September.
Medicinal Properties	: Pomegranate has been used for thousands of years to cure a wide range of diseases A decoction of seed is used to treat syphilis. Juice used to treat jaundice. Juice of flower is used to treat nose bleeds. Dried, pulverized flower buds are employed as a remedy for bronchitis.