POMEGRANATE

PUNICA GRANATUM

Common name:  Pomegranate, melagrana, grenadine, punica granatum
Origin: From the Balkans to the Himalayas, punica granatum can be considered as one of the most cultivated trees due to its fruit. The pomegranate is a special pleasure in many regions.
Etymology: EThe pomegranate’s name, punica granatum, is given by the combination of the words Punica, the ancient name of this plant, and Granatum, meaning full of grain due to the multitude seeds in its fruit.
Minimum Temperature: -12º C

The Pomegranate or Punica granatum, is a small-size deciduous tree, sometimes with a bushy growth, from 3 to 6 m height and twisted trunk. Nowadays, Punica granatum is commonly bought depending on the trunk shape, as it is used in garden decoration and leafy areas, rather than bought for its fruit.

This is something that in the past was not even considered because the pomegranate’s fruit is a very sweet dessert, especially if mixed with sugar, whose juice is even used for cocktails preparation.Currently, we have three kinds of pomegranates: the common pomegranate, with sweet pomegranates, the sour pomegranate, used for ornamentation due to its flowers, and the pomegranate with fruit seedless, a Punica granatum specimen produced in the Middle East.

One of the punica granatum features is its hard wood, which gives printing figures and a greyish flaky bark to its trunk. One of the problems in the pomegranate’s cultivation and care is that it requires a lot of water and freshness to the roots, so it has to be irrigated frequently when cultivated in warm areas. Punica granatum has to have enough water to get a good quality fruit, the pomegranate.

When we say that the Punica granatum needs a lot of water, it is important to know that it is not sensitive with the kind of cultivation soil, so it allows being cultivated anywhere. Even though, it is important to be careful with cold weather as it can get frozen.
Regarding the punica granatum and its sale and purchase in plant nurseries, we have to consider that we are talking about different kind of trees produced for garden decoration with trunks making strange shapes. It is like when you are looking for a pomegranate bonsai: what you want is something different and spectacular.

Finally, we would like to remark that the best time of the year to plant Punica granatum or pomegranate is between the months of February and March (spring). Moreover you should know that in areas like Elche, the pomegranate is a revered tree; pomegranate fruit is an important and representative element of our city.