What type of fruit are pomegranates

It derived from the fusion of the bases of the perianth segments petals and sepals. Some references state that the hypanthium may also contain tissue from the receptacle. In the pome, the thickened, fleshy hypanthium is fused with the ovary wall or core. The outer skin of an apple is the multiseriate epidermis of the hypanthium surrounded by a waxy cuticle. Contrary to some references, it is not the exocarp of a ripened ovary. Depending on the variety, the skin contains red anthocyanin pigments.

When you eat an apple, you are primarily biting into the hypanthium tissue. You may also consume some of the outer ovary exocarp and mesocarp that is fused with the thick hypanthium.

Depending on how hungry you are, the inner ovary or seed-bearing core is usually not eaten, at least by most humans. Since the fruit contains tissue not derived from the pericarp, it is called an accessory fruit. This is the typical fruit of certain members of the rose family Rosaceae , including apple, pear, quince and loquat. Aggregate fruit of a hybrid strawberry Fragaria x ananassa showing the individual yellowish-brown, one-seeded achenes embedded in the red, fleshy receptacle.

Although the one-seeded achenes represent separate ripened ovaries, each strawberry is produced from a single white flower bearing many stamens. Flower and aggregate fruit of thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus , a native shrub in the mountains of the western United States. Although the tiny, one-seeded drupelets represent separate ripened ovaries, each aggregate cluster of fleshy drupelets developed from a single white flower.

Black mulberry Morus nigra , a dioecious tree native to western Asia. The bumpy surface of the fruit is due to many tightly-packed, seed-bearing ovaries drupelets , each with separate styles that appear like black hairs. It is technically a multiple fruit called a syncarp composed of a cluster of drupelets superficially resembling a blackberry; however, unlike a blackberry, each drupelet arises from a separate, minute, unisexual female flower.

Each monocarpellate pistil also referred as a gynoecium consists of a forked stigma, a short style and a spherical ovary. In the aggregate fruit of a blackberry, all the drupelets of the cluster syncarp come from a single flower. Hades, God of the underworld, used pomegranate seeds to trick Persephone into returning to the underworld for a few months of every year. It had a strong association to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, as well as Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage and childbirth.

In Ancient Rome, newlywed women wore crowns woven from pomegranate leaves, and the juice of pomegranates was used to cure infertility. The pomegranate is also said to be found in the Garden of Eden according to Ancient Iranian Christianity and was believed to be the real forbidden fruit rather than the apple. During the non-Christian Iranian tradition, Yalda Night, people come together on winter solstice and eat pomegranate fruit to celebrate the victory of light over darkness.

Look out for the pomegranate, a plant heavily laced in symbolic history and celebrated to this day for its many nutritious and medicinal properties, in Kew's Temperate House. Its gorgeous fruits will be on display right through summer and into spring. You can support our vital science work by becoming a member, donating as an individual or organisation, or volunteering your time. Mistaken origins The genus name given to pomegranates Punica came from the Roman name for Carthage, an ancient city in Northern Africa The Romans mistakenly assumed pomegranates derived from Africa.

In fact, pomegranates have a native range from North East Turkey to Afghanistan The pomegranate fruit was also given a classical Latin name, Malum granatum , meaning "grainy apple". We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission.

Studies have shown that they may have several benefits for your body, possibly lowering your risk of various diseases 1. The pomegranate, or Punica granatum , is a shrub that produces a red fruit 1. Categorized as a berry, the pomegranate fruit is about 5—12 cm 2—5 inches in diameter. It is red, round and looks kind of like a red apple with a flower-shaped stem.

The skin of the pomegranate is thick and inedible, but there are hundreds of edible seeds within. Each seed is surrounded by a red, juicy and sweet seed covering known as an aril. The seeds and arils are the edible parts of the fruit — eaten either raw or processed into pomegranate juice — but the peel is discarded.

Pomegranates have an impressive nutrient profile — one cup of arils grams contains 2 :. The pomegranate arils are also very sweet, with one cup containing 24 grams of sugar and calories.

However, pomegranates really shine in their wealth of powerful plant compounds, some of which have potent medicinal properties.

The pomegranate is a fruit that contains hundreds of edible seeds called arils. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and bioactive plant compounds, but they also contain some sugar. Pomegranate extract and powder is typically made from the peel, due to its high antioxidant and punicalagin content.

Pomegranates contain punicalagins and punicic acid, unique substances that are responsible for most of their health benefits. Pomegranates have potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagins.

Test-tube studies have shown that they can reduce inflammatory activity in the digestive tract, as well as in breast cancer and colon cancer cells 4 , 5 , 6. One week study in people with diabetes found that 1. If you are interested in reducing inflammation in your body, pomegranate is an excellent addition to your diet. The punicalagins in pomegranate juice have been shown to reduce inflammation, one of the leading drivers of many serious diseases, including cancer and diabetes.

Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer in men. Laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract may slow cancer cell reproduction and even induce apoptosis, or cell death, in cancer cells 8 , 9. Men whose PSA levels double in a short period of time are at an increased risk of death from prostate cancer. Interestingly, a human study found that drinking 8 ounces ml of pomegranate juice per day increased the PSA doubling time from 15 months to 54 months — a monumental increase A follow-up study found similar improvements using a type of pomegranate extract called POMx Preliminary evidence indicates that pomegranate juice can be useful in men with prostate cancer, potentially inhibiting cancer growth and lowering the risk of death.

Pomegranate extract may inhibit the reproduction of breast cancer cells — even killing some of them 12 , 13 , However, the evidence is currently limited to laboratory studies.

More research is needed before any claims can be made. Laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract can help fight breast cancer cells, but human studies are needed. In one study, people with hypertension had a significant reduction in blood pressure after consuming 5 ounces ml of pomegranate juice daily for two weeks Other studies have found similar effects, especially for systolic blood pressure, which is the higher number in a blood pressure reading 16 , Regular intake of pomegranate juice has been shown to lower blood pressure levels in as little as two weeks.

Given that the plant compounds in pomegranate have anti-inflammatory effects, it makes sense that they could help treat arthritis. Interestingly, laboratory studies suggest that pomegranate extract can block enzymes that are known to damage joints in people with osteoarthritis 18 , This extract has also been shown to relieve arthritis in mice, but evidence from human-based research is very limited so far 20 , Studies in animals and isolated cells indicate that pomegranate extract may be beneficial against several forms of arthritis, but human research is needed.

Punicic acid, the main fatty acid in pomegranate, may help protect against several steps in the heart disease process.