The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit-bearing deciduousshrub or small tree growing to between five and eight meters tall. The pomegranate is native to Southwest Asia and has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout Georgia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, India, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, the drier parts of southeast Asia, Peninsular Malaysia, the East Indies, and tropicalAfrica. Introduced into Latin America and California by Spanish settlers in 1769, pomegranate is now cultivated in parts of California and Arizona for juice production.