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Punica granatum
The pomegranate, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall. Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as well as the Himalayas in Northern India. Today, it is widely cultivated throughout the Mediterranean region of southern Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa and tropical Africa, Indian subcontinent and the drier parts of southeast Asia. Introduced into Latin America and California by Spanish settlers in 1769, pomegranate is also cultivated in parts of California and Arizona. In the Northern Hemisphere, the fruit is typically in season from September to February.In the Southern Hemisphere, the pomegranate is in season from March to May. The pomegranate has been mentioned in many ancient texts, notably the Book of Exodus, the Homeric Hymns and the Quran. In recent years, it has become more common in the commercial markets of North America and the Western Hemisphere. Reference-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranetes
Spotted on Oct 23, 2012
Submitted on Oct 23, 2012
2 Comments
Hi alicelongmartin, I am glad that it was informative. This is actually the wild variety of pomegranate with very hard seeds [unlike the hybrid,commercial varieties which are seedless or have softer ones]. We grow this tree infront of our house mainly because of the beauty of its flowers and as it is a wild variety it is quiet rare.
I have not seen it in a tree before. Thanks for the Education.