Pomegranate

P. granatum L.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

P. protopunica Balf.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pomegranate, Punica granatum, is a species of fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5-8 m tall. The pomegranate is believed to have originated in the area from Iran east to northern India, but has been cultivated around the Mediterranean for so long (several millennia) that its true native range is not accurately known. The ancient city of Granada in Spain was renamed after the fruit during the Moorish period. It is also extensively grown in South China and in Southeast Asia, and could have been brought by sea traders, assuming the pomegranate was not native to the Pacific coast. Missionaries from Spain are also said to be the source for the pomegranate's introduction into the Caribbean and Latin America during the 1700-1800's.

Related Topics:
Fruit - Deciduous - Shrub - Tree - Iran - India - Mediterranean - Granada - Spain - Moorish - South China - Southeast Asia - Caribbean - Latin America - 1700 - 1800

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~