Will Picking Pomegranate Flowers Hurt the Fruit?

The distinctive fruit of pomegranates has been cultivated for centuries.

As with every flowering plant, the main purpose of pomegranate flowers is to produce the seeds that will assure the survival of the species. Each pollinated pomegranate flower results in a fruit that encases seeds. Therefore, picking the flowers will reduce the number of fruits.

Flower Characteristics

Pomegranate flowers are born singly or in clusters of two to four blooms. Most often bright red, the flowers have five to seven petals apiece and are somewhat funnel-shaped. The petals are crinkled.

Fruit Characteristics

Celebrated for centuries in art and myth, pomegranate fruits are large, round and red, topped by a distinctive crown of sepals. Inside they are yellow-orange and very seedy. Both fruit and seeds are used in cooking.

Considerations

Because of the beauty of the flowers, pomegranates have long been grown as ornamental shrubs or small trees. Species flowers are almost always red, but cultivars bear blossoms in red, orange, white, yellow or bicolored combinations. Double-flowered varieties may be best for picking, as they bear few fruits.

References

• Clemson University Cooperative Extension: Home and Garden Information Center: Pomegranate
• "The Botanical Garden"; Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix; 2002