Common Name: Wild Pomegranate

General Information

Wild pomegranate is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing up to 8 metres tall.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of timber. Young children suck the flowers for their sweet nectar. A neat and attractive ornamental, it is sometimes grown in gardens[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern Africa - S. Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland.

Habitat

Forests, forest margins, rocky outcrops and bush clumps in montane grasslands[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of the subtropics, just entering into the tropics. Mature plants can tolerate some frost, but should be protected from very cold winter winds and extreme frost, as this might damage or kill them[].
The plant grows and flowers best in full sun, but it also thrives in dense shade[]. Prefers a well-drained, slightly acid soil.

Edible Uses

The flowers are sucked for their rich source of sweet nectar[].

Medicinal

The roots are used as an emetic to cleanse the body[].

A combination of both bark and roots makes suitable splints for binding the fractured limbs of animals[].

Other Uses

The wood is hard, dense and close-grained[]. The wood is usually of too small dimensions to be used commercially but is used locally to build hut and to make agricultural implements such as hoe handles and cattle yokes[].

Propagation

Seed - should be sown in a nursery seed bed straight after harvesting. They take about 4 - 6 weeks to germinate[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood[]. They take about three to four weeks to root, and then can be transplanted to containers with potting soil for hardening off, before planting out in the garden[].

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