Pomegranate Varieties in Texas

Description

• Pomegranates are shrubby or erect plants with glossy, dark green leaves. Their orange or red flowers develop into fruit with smooth, leathery skin. The fruit has a distinctive crown-like structure on the blossom end called a calyx. The edible parts of the fruit are the fleshy sacs called arils that surround the numerous seeds. The arils and the juice of pomegranates are high in antioxidants.

Soft-Seeded Variety For Eating

• The best pomegranates for eating fresh are varieties with soft seeds that can be eaten along with the arils. According to Richard Ashton of Texas Pomegranate Growers Cooperative, “Sumbar” is the only soft-seeded variety that is cold-hardy enough to grow in Texas. It produces sweet fruit early in the season.

Hard-Seed Varieties For Juicing Only

• Pomegranate juice is derived from varieties with hard seeds. “Spanish Sweet-Uvalde” bears large red fruit with a very tart but sweet flavor in mid-October. It is very productive and cold-tolerant. It is also known as “Spanish Sweet” and “Texas Rose.” “Al-Sirin-Nar” produces large, glossy red fruit with very hard seeds, large rosy pink to red arils, and a sweet-tart flavor. It is a vigorous bush that begins bearing while still young and consistently yields a large amount of fruit in late October.

Other Varieties For Eating or Juicing

• Pomegranates with medium-soft to medium-hard seeds can be eaten fresh or used for juice. “Wonderful” is the main commercial variety in the U.S. and is better for juicing than eating fresh. The medium-to-large fruit is dark red with medium-soft seeds and a sweet-tart flavor. The plants are not as cold-hardy as other varieties and the fruit often splits as it matures in Texas. “Salavatski” bears large red fruit with medium seeds in mid-October. The fruit tastes sweet with a hint of tartness. Since the calyx is semi-closed, the fruit is less prone to damage from pests. The plant is very cold-hardy. It is also known as SAL or Russian 8. “Surh-Anor,” also called “Pecos,” is a consistently productive variety that bears medium to large red fruit with a greenish tinge in mid-October. The seeds are medium-hard and the large arils are alternately clear and red or pink speckled. The fruit is sweet with very little tartness and contains a high amount of sugar.