Description
Punica – Pomegranate –
There are 2 species of rounded deciduous shrubs or trees in this genus. They occur in scrub, one species occurring from Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia to the Himalayas, the other from Yemen. They have mostly opposite, simple narrowly lance shaped, smooth edge leaves, and are grown for their showy, trumpet shaped, bright red flowers and large, spherical edible reddish yellow, apple shaped fruits. Where not fully hardy, grow in a cool greenhouse or against a sunny wall, either as free standing shrubs or fan-trained, in warmer areas, use as specimen tree, in a shrub border, or as hedging.
Under glass, plant directly in a greenhouse border or in large containers of soil based potting mix in full sun. When in growth, water freely and apply a balanced liquid fertilizer every month, water sparingly in winter, A temperate of 55-61 degrees Fahrenheit in autumn is required for fruit to ripen. Out doors, grow in organic enriched, fertile, well drained soil in full sun.
Prone to dieback, powdery mildew, leaf blotch, gray mold, and scale insects.
P. granatum – This upright, domed shaped, single or multi stemmed, spiny shrub or small tree found from Southeastern Europe to the Himalayas grows 15-20′ feet tall and 10-15′ feet wide. It produces opposite narrowly oblong, glossy, blunt tipped, bright green leaves, coppery or red veined when young,, to 3″ long and 1″ wide, which turn yellowish in autumn. Over a long period from late spring through late summer it bears funnel shaped, 5-8 petaled, bright orange-red flowers, to 1 ½” across, held singly or in cluster of up to 5, with many stamens. Flowers are followed by apple like, spherical, edible fruit which is initially green ripening to yellow-brown, and is to 5″ across.
Zones 7-10
