The Pomegranate Plant
Used in ancient times as well documented in art and literature through the ages, pomegranate is one of the first cultivated fruits known. It can be used in such infestations are the ones caused by tape worms and dysentery. It is also commonly used to treat chronic conditions in the upper and lower bowl and has been shown to cause promising results in the cases of cancer and other such diseases. Over all pomegranates are considered to be one of the best fruits available in the fighting of illnesses due to its high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
The pomegranate plant is one of the only types of small trees or shrubs that produce fruit bearing sprouts upon them and the fruit that does grow on it are some of the most unique in the entire fruit kingdom. Its true native range is hard to tell because for thousands of years it has been depicted in literature and art all the way from Greece to Persia and other areas of the Middle East and Asia. It has however been determined that the pomegranate plant can only be grown in very warm humid climates like many other more traditional fruits. Now some of those fruits have had their genetics tinkered with enough that they are now able to be grown in colder, dryer climates than their original cultivation.
With pomegranate that is not true though and California is currently the only US state that pomegranate is able to grow naturally outside, that is not in a greenhouse or artificial garden. The tree that bears the glossy leaves and beautiful red fruit of pomegranate is only around five meters high and is really more of a large shrub in shape and design. The fruit itself varies from place to place and tree to tree in size and slightly in color. Most pomegranates are around the size of an orange or grapefruit and can be very drought tolerant despite the needs of the pomegranate tree for lush and hot temperatures.
The pomegranate plant produces not only the plant and fruit but also the rind and root which can all be used for various purposes, some of them medicinal. In fact the medical properties of the pomegranate plant can be traced back to the time of antiquity. Ancient art shows the peculiar fruit depicted in many a painting and it is mentioned in many different books dating back thousands of years in time. In traditional Chinese medicine in ancient times pomegranate was considered a way to treat infertility in women and was even prescribed by the “doctors” of the time.
The branches of a pomegranate shrub are often tipped with spines to protect its fruit from predators. The leaves are a very pale green and extremely vibrant and shiny and the pomegranate itself sticks out against the backdrop in its deep red color. The seeds that sprout pomegranate plants can now be bought and grown for private people, though most say they will grown anywhere, in truth those in southern regions of the United states or Europe tend to do a lot better.