This ancient fruit tree is the Pomegranate, Punica granatum. It belongs to the loosestrife family, Lythraceae, and is native from northeastern Turkey and the Caucasus through Iran, Afghanistan and parts of Central and South Asia. It has been cultivated for thousands of years and is now grown throughout warm, dry regions of the world.

Pomegranate usually grows as a many-branched shrub or small tree. Its slender branches may carry short spines, and plants allowed to grow naturally often produce new shoots from around the base.

The leaves are small, smooth and glossy, usually appearing opposite one another or in small clusters along the stems. New growth may emerge reddish or bronze before becoming bright green.

The flowers are among the tree’s most attractive features. They are usually brilliant orange-red or scarlet, with thick, crinkled petals emerging from a firm, waxy calyx.

That calyx remains attached after flowering and later forms the crown-like structure at the end of the mature fruit. It is one of the easiest features to use when identifying a pomegranate.

Some flowers contain only functional male parts and fall after blooming, while others contain a developed ovary and can produce fruit. Bees and other insects visit the blossoms and assist with pollination.

The fruit begins as a small green swelling beneath the flower and gradually enlarges into a round, leathery pomegranate. Depending on the cultivar, the skin may become yellow, pink, orange-red or deep crimson as it matures.

Inside, the fruit is divided by thin, pale membranes into several chambers. Each seed is surrounded by a translucent, juicy covering called an aril. The arils may be pale pink, ruby red or nearly purple and range in flavor from sharply tart to very sweet.

Although we casually describe the juicy structures as seeds, the hard seed lies inside each aril. The entire aril is eaten, used for juice or separated from the seed during processing.

Pomegranates are eaten fresh and made into juices, syrups, sauces, preserves and seasonings. The dried arils are also used as a tart spice in parts of South and Central Asia. Kew records the species as having a long history of food, medicinal and social uses.

The tree tolerates heat and seasonal drought once established, although regular moisture supports better flowering and fruit development. In cooler or very dry conditions, it may lose its leaves and remain dormant for part of the year.

Pomegranates have carried strong symbolic meaning across many cultures. Because one fruit contains so many seeds, it has often represented fertility, abundance, prosperity and renewal.

This is therefore a plant whose beauty continues from flower to fruit. First come the vivid, crumpled red blossoms, followed by leathery fruits whose plain exterior conceals hundreds of jewel-like arils.

When presenting it to a group, the best detail to point out is the crown at the end of the fruit. It is the persistent base of the original flower—a visible reminder that every pomegranate began as one of those brilliant red blossoms.