Punica granatum (pomegranate, "Zakuro")

Japanese name: ザクロ （石榴、柘榴）
Scientific name: Punica granatum

[Overview]
A small deciduous tree about 7 m tall.
Young branches have 4 wings, which later drop off.
The leaves are simple and opposite, with entire margins and a glossy upper surface.
The flowers are borne singly or in several at the tips of new branches, and are usually vermilion-red with 6 petals.
The calyx surrounding the flower is hard and leathery, 5–8-lobed at the tip, and funnel-shaped at the base.
Depending on the cultivar, the flowers may be white, variegated or of mixed colors, or double-flowered.
In general, those with double flowers or unusual flower colors are called hana-zakuro (flowering pomegranate), and those grown for their fruit are called mi-zakuro (fruiting pomegranate).
The fruit is round and usually bright crimson, with a hard skin, and the calyx remains on top like a crown.
When ripe, the fruit splits open irregularly.
Inside the fruit are many seeds, each enclosed in a juicy seed coat.

[History]
An old fruit tree that has been cultivated since prehistoric times.
It is even depicted in an Egyptian relief from 2500 BC.
It is also deeply connected with myth and religion.
It is said to have come to Japan from China around the 10th–11th centuries.

[Uses]
The juicy seed coat is sweet and sour, and is eaten as it is or processed into juice, syrup and so on.
The bark, root bark, flowers and fruit skin are used medicinally.
The wood is hard and is used for decorative alcove posts and similar purposes.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by grafting.
It is somewhat sensitive to cold and is better suited to warm regions.
It prefers a slightly acidic site with good sun, drainage and water retention.
If it is too shady, flowering is poor.
For potted plants, water when the soil surface dries.
For plants in the garden, watering is unnecessary unless extreme dryness continues.
Apply slow-release fertilizer when new shoots appear (March), after flowering (around July), and in the fruiting period (around October).
If the nitrogen content is high, only branches and leaves grow lushly and flowering and fruiting are poor.
If you want to harvest fruit, bag the fruits early.
When pruning, the flower buds form at the tips of the previous year's branches, so use thinning rather than heavy pruning that cuts back all the branches.
There are no particular pests or diseases, but powdery mildew, scale insects, aphids and the like may appear if sunlight or ventilation is poor.

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