Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing, deciduous shrub in the loosestrife family that grows to between 1.5 and 5 meters tall, rich in symbolic and mythological associations across many cultures; it originated in the region spanning the Caucasus and the Iranian plateau, including modern-day Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it was first domesticated by ancient Iranians about 5,000 years ago and is now extensively cultivated for its fruit. From the Iranian plateau, the pomegranate was exported to other parts of Asia, including Iraq, Turkey and India, as well as parts of Africa and Europe, and it was introduced into Spanish America in the late 16th century and into California by Spanish settlers in 1769.