Plant

Pomegranate

Punica granatum

Also known as: Punica granatum

A deciduous fruit shrub or small tree native to the region from northern Iran through the Himalayan foothills — domesticated more than 5,000 years ago. Among the most heavily symbolic plants in human cultural history: featured in the Hebrew Bible, the Quran, Greek myth (Persephone), Persian poetry, Hindu and Buddhist iconography, and Christian art. The fruit is a botanical curiosity — a many-seeded berry with each seed (the *aril*) surrounded by edible juice-filled pulp.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons — see source for license.

Scientific

Punica granatum (family Lythraceae). The botanical name comes from the Latin pomum granatum — “seedy apple” — a literal description that gives English “pomegranate.” Each fruit contains 200–1,400 arils, the juice-filled translucent sacs that each surround a single seed.

The species is unusually long-lived; cultivated pomegranates can fruit for 100+ years. Cold-tolerant compared to most fruiting trees from its origin range — the pomegranate ripens in places where citrus would freeze.

Cultural and historical

Among the most symbolically heavy plants in any human tradition:

Hebrew Bible — one of the [[seven-species-of-israel|seven species of the Land of Israel]]; the 613 seeds of legend matched the 613 commandments of Torah
Greek myth — Persephone eats six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and is bound to return six months each year
Persian and Sufi poetry — the bursting-open of the fruit’s many seeds is a recurring image of fertility, generosity, abundance
Quranic and Islamic tradition — referenced in paradise descriptions; cultivated extensively across the medieval Islamic world
Hindu and Buddhist iconography — the fruit appears in the hands of various deities; a fertility symbol
Christian art — the open pomegranate in Renaissance paintings often signifies the church or Christ’s resurrection

Global production

Top producers: India, Iran, China, Turkey, USA.

Sources

FAO Crop Statistics
Wikipedia — Pomegranate

A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].

What links here, and how

Inbound connections from across the wiki, grouped by lens and by relationship. These appear automatically — every entity page declares what it links to, and that data populates here on the targets.

Cultural

shares approach with

Carob Mediterranean ancient orchard species — biblical, drought-tolerant, millennia of continuous cultivation.

General