12 



G. P. ]V. Collection. Pl.ATE IV. 



Piuiica Granatmn. 



POMEGRANATE. 



The name was derived from the word punicus, of Carthage, 

 near which city it is said to have been discovered; hence mahtm- 

 punicum, Apple of Carthage, which was the early -name of the 

 Pomegranate. It is a native of Northern Africa, and of South- 

 western Asia, and is grown in the Himalayas up to an elevation 

 of 6000 feet. It is a deciduous shrub, which by careful training 

 can be made to grow into a tree from 10-15 feet high. Many 

 shoots spring from the base of the tree, and should be cut away, 

 as they draw the sap which should go to the fruit-bearing stems. 

 The branches are slender, twiggy, nearly cylindrical, and some- 

 what thorny. The bark contains about 32 per cent, tannin, and 

 is used for dying the yellow Morocco-leather. The peel of the 

 fruit serves also as a dye. There are several varieties of Pome- 

 granate growing in Hawaii ; the double-flowering variety is popu- 

 lar as an ornamental plant. All of the varieties are of easy cul- 

 ture, and are readily propagated by means of cuttings of the ripe 

 wood. The leaves are lanceolate, glabrous, and a glossy-green 

 with red veins. The flowers are axillary, solitary or in small 

 clusters, and in color are a very showy rich orange-red. The 

 fruit is about the size of an ordinary orange, has a persistent 

 calyx, and is made up of many small compartments arranged in 

 two series, one above the other. The crisp, sweet, watery pink 

 pulp enveloping each seed, is the edible portion of the Pomegrante. 



