Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

Found this little tree here when we moved here 4 years ago. What a pleasant surprise!

The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing shrub or small tree growing to between 5 & 8mt tall. The fruit is between 5 & 12 cm in diameter with a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin and around 600 seeds. The seeds and surrounding pulp, ranging in color from white to deep red, called arils, are edible; indeed, the fruit of the pomegranate is a berry.

After opening the pomegranate by breaking it open, the seed casings are separated from the peel and internal white pulp membranes. It is also possible to freeze the whole fruit in the freezer, making the red arils easy to separate from the white pulp membranes. The entire seed is consumed raw, though the watery, tasty aril is the desired part.

Pomegranate aril juice provides vitamin C and is a good source of vitamin B5 potassium, antioxidants and beta-carotene.

In Arabic countries, pomegranates are used to cure mouth ulcers. The pomegranate is sieved boiled to form molasses (easily available in shops) and then applied directly to the mouth ulcer. This stings but works effectively after a few applications.

Thanks to Wikipedia