Jinghong Pomegranates

Jinghong Pomegranates

　　Pomegranate

　　Pomegranate (scientific name: Punica granatum), originally called "An Shi" (pomegranate), belongs to the Lythraceae family. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree. Its branches are needle-like, and the leaves are obovate or elliptical, hairless. Flowers bloom in summer, mostly orange, but also yellow and white. The berry is nearly spherical and ripens in autumn. The outer seed coat is fleshy, translucent, and juicy; the inner seed coat is leathery. Originally native to Iran and surrounding regions. The Baihua Yushi Zi variety from Huaiyuan County is famous for its soft pit, high sweetness, white flowers, pale green fruit, and seeds as clear and bright as emerald jade. It has a sweet, sour, and astringent taste, with warming properties, and offers benefits such as killing parasites, astringency, intestinal constriction, and relief of dysentery. Pomegranate fruits are rich in nutrients, containing one to two times more vitamin C than apples and pears.