Pomegranate is deciduous shrub or a small tree with a dark grey bark, 5-8 meters high. Leaves are opposite, oblong, 2.5-6 cm long. Flowers at terminals or auxiliary, solitary, large, orange red. Calyx persistent, prolonged above the ovary. Petals 1.2-2.5 cm long, thin and wrinkled. Fruits are large, globose, 5-8 cm across, indehiscent with red pulp. Seeds are angular.
Origin and Distribution
The crop is indigenous to Southern Europe and Mediterranean area. It is distributed in the warmer regions of both the hemispheres. It is widely cultivated in Iran, Afghanistan and Baluchistan. In India it is grown in almost all states but cultivated in large scale in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. It thrives best in places with a hot dry summer, with irrigation. In humid weather the quality of fruit is not good. It grows up to a height of 1600 mtr MSL. It can tolerate alkaline and wet soil.
The seed dried with pulp is used as a spice in many dishes. The fruit juice is cooling and refrigerant. The fruit rind is useful in chronic dysentery and diarrhoea. The pulp and seeds are stomachic and are also used as laxative. The flower buds are used in bronchitis.
Indian Name of Spices
Hindi : Anardana Bengali : Dalimb Gujarati : Dalamb, Dadam Kannada : Dalimbari Kashmiri : Daan Malayalam : Maathalanarakam Marathi : Dalimb Oriya : Dalima Punjabi : Anardana Sanskrit : Dadima Tamil : Mathalam pazham Telugu : Danimma pandu Urdu : Anardana Assamese : Dalim
Foreign Name of Spices
Czech : Granatounik Dutch : Granaatappel French : Grenade German : Granatapfel Greek : Rodia Italian : Melograno Japanese : Zakuro Spanish : Granada Swedish : Granatapple