Pomegranate - Revision history

Raffi: /* Propagation */

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Propagation

Raffi at 04:58, 10 December 2009

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Kpdhage at 14:05, 8 December 2009

2009-12-08T14:05:16Z

Raffi at 01:17, 17 September 2009

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Kpdhage at 17:57, 16 September 2009

2009-09-16T17:57:33Z

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Raffi at 16:47, 6 May 2009

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Raffi at 04:39, 14 April 2007

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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Pomegranate
| image = Pomegranate fruit.jpg
| image_caption = Fruit of pomegranate
| regnum = [[Plantae]]
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| subclassis = [[Rosidae]]
| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
| familia = [[Lythraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Punica]]''
| species = '''''P. granatum'''''
| binomial = Punica granatum
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
The '''Pomegranate''' (''Punica granatum'') is a [[fruit]]-bearing [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] growing to 5–8 m tall. The pomegranate is native from [[Iran]] to the Himalayas in northern [[India]] and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole [[Mediterranean]] region including [[Azerbaijan]] since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout Iran, India and the drier parts of southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies and tropical Africa. The tree was introduced into California by Spanish settlers in 1769. In the United States, it is grown for its fruits mainly in the drier parts of California and Arizona.

==Foliage and fruit==
[[Image:Illustration Punica granatum2.jpg|thumb|left|120px|Illustration by [[Otto Wilhelm Thomé]], 1885.]]
The [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite or sub-opposite, glossy, narrow oblong, entire, 3–7 cm long and 2 cm broad. The [[flower]]s are bright red, 3 cm in diameter, with five petals (often more on cultivated plants). The [[fruit]] is between an [[orange (fruit)|orange]] and a [[grapefruit]] in size, 7–12 cm in diameter with a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin and around 600 [[seed]]s. <ref>[http://www.aquaphoenix.com/misc/pomegranate/ How many seeds does a pomegranate have? (statistical analysis)], demonstrating parietal placentation.</ref> The edible parts are the seeds and the red seed pulp surrounding them. There are some [[cultivars]] which have been introduced that have a range of pulp colours like purple.

The only other species in the genus ''[[Punica]]'', Socotra Pomegranate (''Punica protopunica''), is [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to the island of [[Socotra]]. It differs in having pink (not red) flowers and smaller, less sweet fruit. Pomegranates are drought tolerant, and can be grown in dry areas with either a Mediterranean winter rainfall climate or in summer rainfall climates. In wetter areas, they are prone to root decay from [[fungus|fungal]] diseases. They are tolerant of moderate frost, down to about −10°C.

==Etymology==
{{nutritionalvalue | name=Pomegranate, aril only | kJ=285 | protein=0.95 g | fat=0.3 g | carbs=17.17 g | fiber=0.6 g | | sugars=16.57 g | iron_mg=0.30 | calcium_mg=3 | magnesium_mg=3 | phosphorus_mg=8 | potassium_mg=259 | zinc_mg=0.12 | vitC_mg=6.1 | pantothenic_mg=0.596 | vitB6_mg=0.105 | folate_ug=6 | thiamin_mg=0.030 | riboflavin_mg=0.063 | niacin_mg=0.300 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }}
The name "pomegranate" derives from [[Latin (language)|Latin]] ''pomum'' ("apple") and ''granatus'' ("seeded"). This has influenced the common name for pomegranate in many languages (e.g. [[German language|German]] ''Granatapfel'', seeded apple). The genus name ''Punica'' is named for the [[Phoenicians]], who were active in broadening its cultivation, partly for religious reasons; consequently in classical Latin the fruit's name was ''malum punicum'' or ''malum granatum'', where "malum" was broadly applied to many apple-like fruits.
A separate, widespread root for "pomegranate" is the Egyptian and Semitic ''rmn''. Attested in Ancient [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''rimmôn'', and in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ''rummân'', this root was brought by Arabic to a number of languages, including [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (''romã'')<ref>Habeeb Salloum [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200102/arabian.memories.in.portugal.htm Arabian Memories in Portugal]</ref>, and [[Kabyle language|Kabyle]] ''rrumman'' and [[Maltese Language|Maltese]] "rumen".

According to the ''[[OED]]'', the weapon [[grenade]] derived its name, attested in 1532, from the French name for the fruit, which is ''la grenade'' (from which also comes the name applied to a kind of syrup, originally pomegranate syrup, widely used in cocktails and [[grenadine]]).

Even though this fruit does not originate from China, one common nickname is "Chinese apple"

In Jamaica, this fruit is commonly refered to as the "pan-ga-nat".

==Cultivation and uses==
[[Image:Punica.granatum(04).jpg|thumb|left|Pomegranate leaves]]
[[Image:Punica.granatum(01).jpg|thumb|left|Pomegranate tree]]
The pomegranate originated from [[Persia]] ([[Iran]]) and has been cultivated in [[Central Asia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]] and the [[Mediterranean region]] for several millennia.<ref>S. D. Doijode, ''Seed Storage of Horticultural Crops'', p. 77</ref>

In [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and [[Armenia]] to the east of the [[Black Sea]], there are wild pomegranate groves outside of ancient abandoned settlements. The cultivation of the pomegranate has a long history in Armenia; decayed remains of pomegranates dating back to 1000 BC have been found in the country.<ref>[http://www.armenianow.com/archive/2004/2003/june13/shoppingforasymbol/index.htm The pomegranate in mythology]</ref>

Carbonized pips and pieces of the peel of the fruit has been identified in [[Early Bronze Age]] levels of [[Jericho]], as well as [[Late Bronze Age]] levels of [[Hala Sultan Tekke]] on [[Cyprus]] and [[Tiryns]]. A large, dry pomegranate was found in the tomb of [[Djehuty]], the butler of Queen [[Hatshepsut]]; [[Mesopotamian]] [[cuneiform]] records mention pomegranates from the mid-[[Third millennium BC]] onwards.<ref>[[Daniel Zohary]] and [[Maria Hopf]], ''Domestication of plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 171.</ref>
It is also extensively grown in [[Northern and southern China|South China]] and in [[Southeast Asia]], whether originally spread along the route of the [[Silk Road]] or brought by sea traders.

The ancient city of [[Granada]] in [[Spain]] was renamed after the fruit during the [[Moors|Moorish]] period. Spanish colonists later introduced the fruit to the [[Caribbean]] and [[Latin America]], but in the English colonies it was less at home: "Don't use the pomegranate inhospitably, a stranger that has come so far to pay his respects to thee" the English [[Quaker]] [[Peter Collinson]] wrote to the botanizing [[John Bartram]] in [[Philadelphia]], 1762. "Plant it against the side of thy house, nail it close to the wall. In this manner it thrives wonderfully with us, and flowers beautifully, and bears fruit this hot year. I have twenty-four on one tree... [[John Fothergill (physician)|Doctor Fothergill]] says, of all trees this is most salutiferous to mankind."<ref> Quoted in [[Ann Leighton]], ''American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century: "For Use or for Delight"'', ([[University of Massachusetts]], 1986), p. 242.</ref> The pomegranate had been introduced as an exotic to England the previous century, by [[John Tradescant the elder]], but the disappointment that it did not set fruit there led to its repeated introduction to the American colonies, even New England. It succeeded in the South: Bartram received a barrel of pomegranates and oranges from a correspondent in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], 1764. [[Thomas Jefferson]] planted pomegranates at [[Monticello]] in 1771: he had them from [[George Wythe]] of Williamsburg.<ref>Leighton, ''American Gardens'', p. 272.</ref>

===Culinary use===
[[Image:Pomegranate03 edit.jpg|thumb|250px|Pomegranate fruit, opened]]
[[Image:Pomseeds2.jpg|thumb|250px|Pomegranate seeds]]
After opening the pomegranate by scoring it with a knife and breaking it open, the [[aril]]s (seed casings) are separated from the skin (peel) and internal white supporting structures (pith and carpellary membrane). Separating the red arils can be simplified by performing this task in a bowl of water, whereby the arils will sink and the white structures will float to the top. The entire seed is consumed raw, though the fleshy outer portion of the seed is the part that is desired. The taste differs depending on the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness. It can be very [[Basic taste#sweetness|sweet]] or it can be very [[Basic taste#Sourness|sour]] or [[tangy]], but most fruits lie somewhere in between, which is the characteristic taste, laced with notes of its [[tannin]].

Pomegranate juice is a popular drink in the [[Middle East]], and is also used in [[Iran]]ian and [[India]]n cuisine; it began to be widely marketed in the US in 2004{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. Pomegranate concentrate is used in [[Syria]]n cuisine. [[Grenadine]] syrup is thickened and sweetened pomegranate juice; it is used in [[cocktail]] mixing. Before the tomato arrived in the Middle East, grenadine was widely used in many Persian foods; it can still be found in traditional recipes.

Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice, known as '''anardana''' (which literally means pomegranate ([[anar]]) seeds (dana) in [[Persian language|Persian]]), most notably in Indian and Pakistani cuisine but also as a replacement for pomegranate syrup in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine. As a result of this, the dried whole seeds can often be obtained in ethnic markets. The seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10–15 days and used as an acidic agent for chutney and curry production. The seeds may also be ground in order to avoid seeds becoming stuck in the teeth when eating dishes prepared with them. The seeds of the wild pomegranate ''daru'' from the [[Himalayas]] is considered the highest quality source for this spice.

In Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, pomegranate ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''nar''; [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]: ''nar''; [[Armenian language|Armenian]]: ''nur'') is used in a variety of ways, notably as pomegranate juice. In Turkey pomegranate sauce, ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''nar ekşisi'') is used as a salad dressing, to marinate meat, or simply to drink straight. Pomegranate seeds are also used in salads, in Muhammara (Turkish [[Walnut]] [[Garlic]] Spread) and in [[Güllaç]], a famous Turkish dessert. In Azerbaijan and Armenia, pomegranate is also used to make high-quality wine which is successfully exported to other countries.

In [[Greece]], pomegranate ([[Greek language|Greek]]: ροδι, rodi) is used in many recipes; such as ''kollivozoumi'', a creamy broth made from boiled wheat, pomegranates and raisins; [[legume]] salad with wheat and pomegranate; traditional Middle Eastern lamb [[kabobs]] with pomegranate glaze; pomegranate [[eggplant]] relish; [[avocado]] and pomegranate dip; are just some of the dishes it is used in culinary. Pomegranate is also made into a [[liqueur]] and popular [[Greek Sweets of the Spoon|fruit confectionery]] that can be used as [[ice cream]] topping, or mixed with [[yogurt]], and even spread as [[jams]] over toast for breakfast.

===Health benefits===
One pomegranate delivers 40% of an adult's daily [[vitamin C]] requirement. It is also a rich source of [[folic acid]] and of [[antioxidant]]s. Pomegranates are high in [[polyphenol]]s. The most abundant polyphenols in pomegranate are hydrolysable [[tannin]]s, particularly [[punicalagins]], which have been shown in many peer-reviewed research publications to be the [[antioxidant]] responsible for the [[free-radical]] scavenging ability of pomegranate juice.

Many food and [[dietary supplement]] makers have found the advantages of using pomegranate extracts (which have no sugar, calories, or additives), instead of the juice, as healthy ingredients in their products. Many pomegranate extracts are essentially [[ellagic acid]], which is largely a by-product of the juice extraction process. Ellagic acid has only been shown in published studies to absorb into the body when consumed as ellagitannins such as [[punicalagins]].<ref>Mertens-Talcott S.U. et al.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17090147&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum Absorption, metabolism, and antioxidant effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum l.) polyphenols after ingestion of a standardized extract in healthy human volunteers] ''J Agric Food Chem.'' 2006 Nov 15;54(23):8956–61.</ref>

In several human clinical trials, the juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing several heart risk factors, including [[LDL oxidation]], [[macrophage]] oxidative status, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in [[atherosclerosis]] and heart disease. Tannins have been identified as the primary components responsible for the reduction of oxidative states which lead to these risk factors.[http://www.nutritionhealthinfo.com/pomegranate/] Pomegranate has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure by inhibiting serum angiotension converting enzyme (ACE).<ref>Aviram M, Dornfeld L.
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11500191&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum Pomegranate juice consumption inhibits serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity and reduces systolic blood pressure] ''[[Atherosclerosis]]'' 2001 Sep;158(1):195–8</ref>

Research suggests that pomegranate juice may be effective against prostate cancer<ref> [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/uow-cpp092205.php Can pomegranates prevent prostate cancer? A new study offers promise] 26 September 2005</ref><ref>BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5132546.stm Juice 'can slow prostate cancer'] 1 July 2006</ref> and osteoarthritis.<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050901072114.htm Pomegranate Fruit Shown To Slow Cartilage Deterioration In Osteoarthritis]</ref>

The juice can also be used as an [[antiseptic]] when applied to cuts{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin - Madison recently discovered the potential benefits of pomegranate juice in stopping the growth of lung cancer.<ref>[http://www.news.wisc.edu/13633.html UW study shows pomegranate juice may help fight lung cancer]</ref>

==Pomegranates and symbolism==
*[[Exodus]] chapter 28:33–34 directed that images of pomegranates be woven onto the borders of [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] priestly robes. 1 Kings chapter 7:13–22 describes pomegranates depicted in the temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem. Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the [[613 mitzvot]] or [[commandments]] of the [[Torah]]. For this reason and others many Jews eat pomegranates on [[Rosh Hashanah]].

*For the same reason ({{bibleverse|Exodus|28:33–34}}), pomegranates are a motif found in Christian religious decoration, they are often woven into the fabric on [[vestments]] and [[antependia|liturgical hangings]], and wrought in metalwork.

*The wild pomegranate did not grow natively in the Aegean area in [[Neolithic]] times. It originated in the [[Iranian]] east and came to the Aegean world along the same cultural pathways that brought the goddess whom the [[Anatolia]]ns worshipped as [[Cybele]] and the [[Mesopotamia]]s as [[Ishtar]].

*The myth of [[Persephone]], the dark goddess of the Underworld, also prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of [[Greek mythology]], [[Persephone]] was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, [[Demeter]] (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. [[Zeus]], the highest ranking of the Greek gods, could not leave the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the [[Fates]] that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but [[Hades]] tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend four months in the Underworld every year. During these four months, when [[Persephone]] is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband [[Hades]], her mother [[Demeter]] mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This be
came an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.

:It should be noted that the number of seeds that Persephone ate is varied, depending on which version of the story is told. The number of seeds she is said to have eaten ranges from three to seven, which accounts for just one barren season if it is just three or four seeds, or two barren seasons (half the year) if she ate six or seven seeds. There is no set number.

*The pomegranate also evoked the presence of the Aegean [[Triple Goddess]] who evolved into the Olympian [[Hera]], who is sometimes represented offering the pomegranate, as in the Polykleitos' [[cult image]] of the Argive [[Heraion]] (see below). According to [[Carl A. P. Ruck]] and [[Danny Staples]], the chambered pomegranate is also a surrogate for the poppy's [[opium|narcotic capsule]], with its comparable shape and chambered interior.<ref>Ruck and Staples, ''The World of Classical Myth'', 1994.</ref> On a Mycenaean seal illustrated in [[Joseph Campbell]]'s ''Occidental Mythology'' 1964, figure 19, the seated Goddess of the double-headed axe (the [[labrys]]) offers three poppy pods in her right hand and supports her breast with her left. She embodies both aspects of the dual goddess, life-giving and death-dealing at once. The Titan [[Orion (mythology)|Orion]] was represented as "marrying" [[Side]], a name that in Boeotia means "pomegranate", thus consecrating the primal hunter to the Goddess. Other Greek dialects call the pomegranate ''rhoa''; its possible connection with the name of the earth goddess [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]], inexplicable in Greek, proved suggestive for the mythographer [[Karl Kerenyi]], who suggested that the consonance might ultimately derive from a deeper, [[pre-Indo-European|pre-Indo-European language]] layer.

[[Image:Pomegranate opened.jpg|thumb|Pomegranate — opened up]]
*In the sixth century BCE, [[Polykleitos]] took ivory and gold to sculpt the seated [[Argive]] Hera in her temple. She held a scepter in one hand and offered a pomegranate, like a royal orb, in the other. "About the pomegranate I must say nothing," whispered the traveller [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] in the second century AD, "for its story is something of a mystery." Indeed, in the Orion story we hear that Hera cast pomegranate-Side into dim [[Erebus]] — "for daring to rival Hera's beauty", which forms the probable point of connection with the older Osiris/Isis story. Since the ancient Egyptians identified the Orion constellation in the sky as [[Sah]] the "soul of [[Osiris]]", the identification of this section of the myth seems relatively complete. Hera wears, not a wreath nor a tiara nor a diadem, but clearly the [[calyx (flower)|calyx]] of the pomegranate that has become her serrated crown.<ref>The pomegranate has a calyx shaped like a crown. In Jewish tradition it has been seen as the original "design" for the proper crown. [http://www.bj.org/parashat_hashavua/parashat_tetzaveh_5765.php]</ref> In some artistic depictions, the pomegranate is found in the hand of [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Mary]], mother of Jesus.

*In modern times the pomegranate still holds strong symbolic meanings for the Greeks. On important days in the [[Greek Orthodox]] calendar, such as the Presentation of the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] and on [[Christmas Day]], it is traditional to have at the dinner table ''"polysporia"'', also known by their ancient name "panspermia" in some regions of Greece. In ancient times they were offered to [[Demeter]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and to the other gods for fertile land, for the spirits of the dead and in honor of compassionate [[Dionysus]]. In modern times the symbolic meaning is assumed by [[Jesus]] and his mother Mary. Pomegranates are also prominent at Greek weddings and funerals. When Greeks commemorate their dead, they make ''"kollyva"'' as offerings that consist of boiled wheat, mixed with sugar and decorated with pomegranate. It is also traditional in Greece to break a pomegranate on the ground at weddings, on New Years and when one buys a new home for a house guest to bring as a first gift a pomegranate which is placed under/near the '''[[ikonostasi]]''', (home altar), of the house, as it is a symbol of abundance, fertility and good luck. Pomegranate decorations for the home are very common in Greece and sold in most homegoods stores. [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:CehRcicwl6gJ:www.christmasmagazine.com/en/spirit/xmas_greece.asp+pomegranate+New+Years+Greek+good+luck&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9]

== Other ==
[[Image:WhitePomegranate.JPG|thumb|Tree of the white pomegranate.]]
*Pomegranate is one of the symbols of [[Armenia]], representing fertility, abundance and marriage.
* It is the official logo of many cities in [[Turkey]].
*The [[Persian Immortals|Immortals]], an elite infantry unit in ancient [[Persian Empire|Persia]] had spears with pomegranate-shaped counterweights at the butt made of gold (for officers) and silver (for regular infantry). In modern Iran the fruit is still believed to give long and healthy life.
*The [[Qur'an]] mentions pomegranates three times (6:99, 6:141, 55:068) — twice as examples of the good things God creates, once as a fruit found in the Garden of Paradise.
*Pomegranate juice stains clothing permanently unless it is washed out immediately with water — only bleach can remove stains.
*Pomegranate juice is used for natural [[dyeing]] of non-[[Synthetic fiber|synthetic fabric]]s.
*Pomegranate juice is sold in the USA under several labels, and is available in [[health food]] stores and [[supermarket]]s across the country.
*Pomegranate juice will turn [[blue]] when subjected to [[Base (chemistry)|basic]] (ie alkaline) conditions (similar to [[litmus paper]]).
*Although not native to [[China]], [[Korea]] or [[Japan]], the pomegranate is widely grown there and many cultivars have been developed. It is widely used for [[bonsai]], because of its flowers and for the unusual twisted bark that older specimens can attain.
* The pomegranate also gave its name to the [[hand grenade]] from its shape and size (and the resemblance of a pomegranate's seeds to a grenade's fragments), and to the [[garnet]] from its colour. In many languages (including Belarusian, Spanish, French, Polish, and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]) the words are exactly the same.
*Balaustines are the [[red]] [[rose|rose-like]] [[flower]]s of the pomegranate, which are very bitter to the taste. In medicine, its dried form has been used as an [[astringent]].<ref>[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&entity=HistSciTech000900240228&isize=L History of Science: Cyclopædia, or, An universal dictionary of arts and sciences…]</ref> (The term "balaustine" ([[Latin language|Latin]]: ''balaustinus'') is also used for a pomegranate-red colour.<ref>Pavey, Don and Roy Osborne. 2003. ''On Colours 1528: A Translation from Latin''. ISBN 1-58112-580-1</ref>)
*The pomegranate was the personal emblem of the Holy Roman Emperor, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]].
*With the rise in popularity of the pomegranate in American markets, [[Starbucks]] introduced a pomegranate frappuccino in the summer of 2006.
*In the Northern hemisphere, the fruit is typically in season from September to January. In the Southern hemisphere, it is in season from March to May.
*The pomegranate is a divine symbol in Pinto Ricardo's series, [[The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]].
*The pomegranate is one of the symbols of Hera.
*The pomegranate is also called the Food of the Dead.
*In Orthodox Christian [[memorial service (Orthodox)|memorial services]] pomegranate seeds will often be put in the [[koliva]] which is blessed after the service and eaten by all of the mourners.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== References and external links ==
{{commons|Punica_granatum}}
{{Wikibookspar|Cookbook|Pomegranate}}
{{wiktionary}}
* Graham, S. A., J. Hall, K. Sytsma & S. Shi. 2005. Phylogenetic analysis of the Lythraceae based on four gene regions and morphology. ''Int. J. Pl. Sci''. 166: 995–1017.
* [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html Pomegranate Fruit Facts]
*[http://www.reproductionsart.com/subj_art_reproductions.php?id_subjects=10&stt=10&art=Salvador_Dali_DAS001&forder=1&number=DAS001 Pomegranate in Dali's painting]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6411097 Pomegranates: Jewels in the Fruit Crown]
* [http://altmedicine.about.com/b/a/257681.htm A small caution: Pomegranate Juice and Medication Can Be a Dangerous Mix]

[[Category:Lythraceae]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Fruit]]
[[Category:Flora of Armenia]]
[[Category:Fruits of Iran]]
[[Category:Lythraceae]]

@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 ===Propagation===
-The pomegranate can be raised from seed but may not come true. Cuttings root easily and plants from them bear fruit after about 3 years. Cuttings 30-50cm long can be taken in winter from mature, one-year old wood. The leaves should be removed and the cuttings treated with rooting hormone and inserted about two-thirds their length into the soil or into some other warm rooting medium. Plants can also be air-layered but grafting is seldom successful.
+The pomegranate can be raised from seed but may not come true. Cuttings root easily and plants from them bear fruit after about 3 years. Cuttings 30-50cm long should be taken in late winter from mature, one-year old wood. The leaves should be removed and the cuttings treated with rooting hormone and inserted about two-thirds their length into the soil or into some other warm rooting medium. Plants can also be air-layered but grafting is seldom successful.
 ===Pests and diseases===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{SPlantbox
-|Min ht metric=cm
+|familia=Lythraceae
-|Temp Metric=°F
+|genus=Punica
-|image=Upload.png
+|species=granatum
 |image_width=240
 }}
 {{Inc|
-Punica granatum, Linn. Pomegranate. A large deciduous shrub or small tree, with oblong or obovate, obtuse, entire, glabrous and more or less shining lvs. : fls. orange-red, showy; calyx tubular, the short lobes persistent on the top of the fr. (as on an apple); petals inserted between the lobes; ovary imbedded in the calyx-tube (or receptacle-tube), comprising several locules or compartments in two series (one series above the other), ripening into a large, juicy, many-seeded pome-like berry. Persia to N. W. India. G.W. 10, p. 510.—A handsome plant, with showy fls. 1 in. across in summer. Hardy as far. north as Washington and Baltimore. It is also grown as a conservatory plant, blooming in winter as well as in summer. For ornament, the double-flowering kinds are the most popular (F.S. 13:1385, as P. Granatum Legrellei). There are many varieties. The treatment of the fruit-bearing varieties is discussed under Pomegranate. Var. nana, Hort. (P. nana, Linn.). Dwarf Pomegranate. Seldom growing higher than a man, and usually treated as a pot-plant in the N. It is the best kind for greenhouse use. The double-fld. form is most common. B.M. 634. It is as hardy as the species, and is suitable for outdoor work where the climate is not too severe. On the Pacific Coast it is grown as a hedge-plant as far north as San Francisco. Both this and the species are easily grown by cuttings of dormant wood, as currants are, but the cuttings should be started indoors with some heat. L.H.B.
+Punica granatum, Linn. Pomegranate. A large deciduous shrub or small tree, with oblong or obovate, obtuse, entire, glabrous and more or less shining lvs. : fls. orange-red, showy; calyx tubular, the short lobes persistent on the top of the fr. (as on an apple); petals inserted between the lobes; ovary imbedded in the calyx-tube (or receptacle-tube), comprising several locules or compartments in two series (one series above the other), ripening into a large, juicy, many-seeded pome-like berry. Persia to N. W. India.—A handsome plant, with showy fls. 1 in. across in summer. Hardy as far. north as Washington and Baltimore. It is also grown as a conservatory plant, blooming in winter as well as in summer. For ornament, the double-flowering kinds are the most popular (F.S. 13:1385, as P. Granatum Legrellei). There are many varieties. The treatment of the fruit-bearing varieties is discussed under Pomegranate. Var. nana, Hort. (P. nana, Linn.). Dwarf Pomegranate. Seldom growing higher than a man, and usually treated as a pot-plant in the N. It is the best kind for greenhouse use. The double-fld. form is most common. It is as hardy as the species, and is suitable for outdoor work where the climate is not too severe. On the Pacific Coast it is grown as a hedge-plant as far north as San Francisco. Both this and the species are easily grown by cuttings of dormant wood, as currants are, but the cuttings should be started indoors with some heat.
 }}
 '''Growth Habits:''' The pomegranate is a neat, rounded shrub or small tree that can grow to 6-9m, but is more typically to 2-4m in height. A dwarf variety, var. ''nana'' (syn. ''Punica nana''), only 1-2m tall is often grown, and breeds true from seed. It is usually deciduous, but in certain areas the leaves will persist on the tree. The trunk is covered by a red-brown bark which later becomes gray. The branches are stiff, angular and often spiny. There is a strong tendency to sucker from the base. Pomegranates are also long-lived. There are specimens in Europe that are known to be over 200 years old. The growth rate declines after about 15 years, however.
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 The pomegranate is a native of some parts of Asia, and by some botanical authors is said to be found also in northern Africa and China. Although of such ancient origin and cultivation, there are but few varieties of the fruit-bearing section disseminated in this country and Europe, but, according to Firminger, several fine varieties have been grown in Bengal from seed brought from Cabul, one being seedless, another growing to the size of "an ordinary human head" and still another as large as a small shaddock.
-Varieties grown for fruit.
+==Varieties grown for fruit==
 Acid, or Wild. — With a sharp acid pulp: fruit often very large, from 3 to 4 inches diameter and with a bright-colored rind.
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 ==References==
 *[http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html California Rare Fruit Growers: Pomegranate Fruit Facts]
-<!--- xxxxx  *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963  -->
+*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
 <!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
 <!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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		+	Punica granatum, Linn. Pomegranate. A large deciduous shrub or small tree, with oblong or obovate, obtuse, entire, glabrous and more or less shining lvs. : fls. orange-red, showy; calyx tubular, the short lobes persistent on the top of the fr. (as on an apple); petals inserted between the lobes; ovary imbedded in the calyx-tube (or receptacle-tube), comprising several locules or compartments in two series (one series above the other), ripening into a large, juicy, many-seeded pome-like berry. Persia to N. W. India. G.W. 10, p. 510.—A handsome plant, with showy fls. 1 in. across in summer. Hardy as far. north as Washington and Baltimore. It is also grown as a conservatory plant, blooming in winter as well as in summer. For ornament, the double-flowering kinds are the most popular (F.S. 13:1385, as P. Granatum Legrellei). There are many varieties. The treatment of the fruit-bearing varieties is discussed under Pomegranate. Var. nana, Hort. (P. nana, Linn.). Dwarf Pomegranate. Seldom growing higher than a man, and usually treated as a pot-plant in the N. It is the best kind for greenhouse use. The double-fld. form is most common. B.M. 634. It is as hardy as the species, and is suitable for outdoor work where the climate is not too severe. On the Pacific Coast it is grown as a hedge-plant as far north as San Francisco. Both this and the species are easily grown by cuttings of dormant wood, as currants are, but the cuttings should be started indoors with some heat. L.H.B.
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 '''Adaptation:''' The Pomegranate is native to southwestern Asia, but has been cultivated for thousands of years west across the Mediterranean region in southern Europe and northern Africa. It prefers a semi-arid mild-temperate to subtropical climate and are naturally adapted to regions with cool winters and hot summers. A humid climate adversely affects the formation of fruit. The tree can be severely injured by temperatures below about -10° to -12°C. In Europe, pomegranates can be grown outside as far north as southern England, and in North America as far north as southern Utah and Washington D.C., but they seldom set fruit in these areas. The tree adapts well to container culture and will sometimes fruit in a greenhouse. The dwarf var. ''nana'' is less hardy, being damaged by temperatures below about -5°C.
 ==Cultivation==

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