The dwarf pomegranate, Punica granatum var. nana, produces smaller fruit than regular pomegranates and is popular with bonsai enthusiasts and landscapers. It can grow up to 8 feet and thrives in hot, dry climates. The fruit can be eaten and has medicinal properties.
The dwarf pomegranate is a small cousin of the larger pomegranate trees called Punica granatum, which are world famous for their juicy seeds that burst in your mouth with a sweet, tart flavor. Called Punica granatum var. nana, these pygmy trees produce fruit about half the size of ordinary pomegranates, which can be eaten – though they are more sour than sweet. But these trees are mostly popular with landscapers and bonsai enthusiasts for their coveted miniature form.
A full-sized pomegranate tree can grow to 30 feet (about 10 m) and create fruit about 5 inches (about 12.5 cm) large. Native to Iran, the fruit has a long history of use in literature, religion, culinary traditions and homeopathic remedies throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. Several cultivars have been developed over the centuries, the wonderful variety native to Florida, the Kabul in Afghanistan and the Spanish Ruby in California.
The dwarf pomegranate is one of the most valuable cultivars for bonsai. Its largest specimens might grow up to 8 feet (about 2.5 m) and its fruit might be 2.5 inches (about 6.4 cm) in diameter, but it can finish much smaller than that with a pruning adequate and some bonsai experience. Although some are kept as landscaping plants in regular grounds, many are kept in pots. Both environments are suitable for this hardy plant, which thrives best when kept moist.
This plant can be grown from seed and cross-pollinated to set fruit, or it can be propagated by replanting pruned branches. Sunlight and water should be plentiful for dwarf pomegranate, but the soil doesn’t have to be ideal, as the plant is known to grow well on rocks and fallen branches. Like most other pomegranate species, the dwarf pomegranate thrives in hotter, drier climates with alkaline soil – climates that don’t drop much below 20°F (about -3.9°C). In North America, this is embodied by the United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zones nine and 10, which include parts of Texas, California, and Florida.
In addition to its bonsai and landscaping potential, the dwarf pomegranate’s more tangible seeds can be tossed into fruit salads or eaten one after another, all by itself. In Ayurvedic medicine and other herbal traditions, many pomegranate cultivars have been used for at least a few millennia to ward off digestive upsets, condition the skin, strengthen the heart, and reduce blood pressure. It can also be used to condition the skin.
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