Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) 

It is also known as Rumman (Arab), Granada (Spanish), Delima  (Malaysian), Granada (Philippine), Preng (Cambodian), Thapthim (Thai), Luu (Vietnamese), Granaatappel (Dutch), and Roma (Portuguese) 

A. Taxonomical information

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Myrtales

Family: Lythraceae

Genus: Punica

Species: Punica granatum L. 

B. Morphological / distribution/ habitat info 

Morphology

Pomegranate is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows between 5 m and 8 m tall. In some regions, it will grow higher. The fruits have a wide range of weights and sizes. From the small to the large.  The fruit is bright red to orange-red, round, and forms a crown at the fruit base. Its fruits have a thick rind, and the internal flesh has a divided section for the seed that contains juice (Seyed Hasan Ashrafi et al., 2022). 

Distribution

It is native to northern India. It is also widely cultivated in the Mediterranean, Southern Europe, and other parts of Asia. It can be found in Turkey and the northern plains of the Caspian coast (Orhan et al., 2014) 

Habitat Info

The need for pomegranates to thrive is in a balanced environment, such as an adequate water supply. It can also tolerate short flooding due to the root system and can be found in the ipen grassland. It prefers full sunlight and well-drained soils, in overly wet or poorly drained soils, the roots may suffer (Thakur & Verma, 2013) 

C. Traditional Uses / TK-related info 

• Persian Culture (Mohammadi et al., 2023) 

symbolised as peace and love. Widely used in medicine and as a diet for healthy food

• Traditional Medicine 

It is also used as a gastrointestinal aid, for skin conditions, and in dental hygiene. It is also one of the therapeutic fruits that contains detoxification. 

• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory 

Help in reducing the stress and underlying chronic diseases

• Everyday Food 

Full of benefits. can be eaten in many ways. 

D. Any related scientific studies, such as ecology/ conservation status/threats/diversity 

• Resilient to pests and diseases 

Pomegranate is resilient to pests and widely cultivated. it easy to grow. However, it will be easy to genetically reduce the over-cultivation. 

• IUCN status

Least Concern