DISEASES OF THE POMEGRANATE ] 181 



flavour. This pomegranate comes next to the preceding 

 as a dessert fruit. 



The double-flowered pomegranates never bear 

 fruit, the stamens and pistil being transformed into petals, 

 and they are therefore purely ornamental. The flowers 

 continue in bloom for a long time, as the petals are 

 renewed by new productions from the centre of the 

 flowers. There are three forms of the double-flowered 

 pomegranate, viz : (i) the typical double red form, (2) 

 the red-and- white double pomegranate, in which the 

 flowers are very large and double, and the red petals are 

 variegated with white, and (3) the pure white double 

 pomegranate, bearing rather small double white flowers. 

 The double-flowered pomegranates particularly the large 

 red-and-white double, are very ornamental, and are 

 frequently met with in our gardens. 



DISEASES OF THE POMEGRANATE. 



The fungous diseases attacking the pomegranate 

 are few and unimportant. The thick round woody pileum 

 of Fames robustus Karst. var. Punicae Sacc. is sometimes 

 found on old trunks of the pomegranate. As a result of 

 the presence of this fungus the heartwood of the stem 

 rots off, and sooner or later the stem becomes too weak 

 to perform its function, and is replaced by strong 

 suckers thrown up from the base of the tree. Polyporus 

 hirsutus Fr. is another rare fungus whose pileum has 

 been found on the stem of an old pomegranate at 

 Boschetto. Aposphaeria pitnicina Sacc. attacks the 

 extremities of the twigs in dry localities, the twig is killed 

 and the fructifications of ihe fungus appear as minute 

 black dots in vertical lines along the bark of the twig. 

 Clumps of Armillaria mellea Vahl. are occasionally 

 formed at the base of old trees in damp situations, but 

 the pomegranate is rarely killed by root-rot caused by 

 this fungus. 



