Punica

For the epic poem Punica, see Punica (poem).

Punica Temporal range: Eocene–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Punica granatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Lythraceae
Subfamily:	Punicoideae (Horan.) Graham, Thorne & Reveal
Genus:	Punica L.
Species
See text
Synonyms
SocotriaG.M.Levin [1]

Punica is a small genus of fruit-bearing deciduous shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Lythraceae. The better known species is the pomegranate (Punica granatum). The other species, the Socotra pomegranate ( Punica protopunica ), is endemic to the island of Socotra. It differs in having pink (not red) flowers and smaller, less sweet fruit.

Although Punica was previously placed in its own family Punicaceae, recent phylogenetic studies have shown that it belongs in the family Lythraceae, and it is classified in that family by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.

The name is derived from the Latin word for the pomegranate, malum punicum, meaning "Carthaginian apple". ^[2]

The oldest fossils of the genus are from the Eocene of Europe, with the genus being widespread in Europe during the Miocene epoch. ^[3]

Extant species

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Punica granatum   L.	Pomegranate	Iran to northern India
	Punica protopunica   Balf.	Socotran pomegranate	island of Socotra (Yemen)

• 
  Flowers of P. granatum

References

1. "Genus: Punica L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1998-06-02. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
2. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. 3 M-Q. CRC Press. p. 2230. ISBN   978-0-8493-2677-6.
3. Graham, Shirley A. (March 2013). "Fossil Records in the Lythraceae" . The Botanical Review. 79 (1): 48–145. Bibcode:2013BotRv..79...48G. doi:10.1007/s12229-012-9116-1. S2CID   17518452.

• Graham, Shirley A.; Thorne, F. Thorne & Reveal, James L. (May 1998). "Validation of subfamily names in Lythraceae". Taxon. 47 (2): 435–436. doi:10.2307/1223775. JSTOR   1223775.
• Graham S. A.; Hall J.; Sytsma K.; Shi S. (2005). "Phylogenetic analysis of the Lythraceae based on four gene regions and morphology". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 166 (6): 995–1017. doi:10.1086/432631. S2CID   37556600.
• Little S. A.; Stockey R. A. & Keating R. C. (2004). "Duabanga-like leaves from the Middle Eocene Princeton chert and comparative leaf histology of Lythraceae sensu lato". American Journal of Botany. 91 (7): 1126–1139. doi: 10.3732/ajb.91.7.1126 . PMID   21653468.