Pomegranate in United States

The pomegranate, from the French pomme granete, or “seeded apple” is a small tree or shrub, growing up to 25 feet tall.

 It was one of the earliest cultivated fruits which were planted by the Spanish missionaries in California and had been described growing in Louisiana and Florida by natural history writers.

Native to Iran and the Himalaya range, pomegranate was introduced to California in 1769 by Spanish missionaries and naturalized readily. In 1777 William Bartram wrote in his Travels that in the deserted town of Frederica, Georgia, “pomegranate and other shrubs grow out of the ruinous walls of former spacious and expensive buildings.”

The appearance of the pomegranate on a number of New Mexican chests suggest that they were made as dowry chests, the pomegranate fertility.
Pomegranate in United States