Monday, April 6, 2009

Bear fruits but won't be eaten

Punica granatum
[Pomegranate, Delima]

A small spiny tree which is grown as an ornamental plant as well as for its edible fruits. It bears simple leaves which are small and oblong, and showy flowers which are orange-red. The fruits are round which a leathery rind. Each fruit has many seeds and each seed is enclosed in a juicy red pulp. Leaves have a hepatotoxic effect due to Punicalagin. Both sheep and cattle die from poisoning after feeding on the plant. Seeds cause irrtation of the intestines. Oestrogenic activity is found in seeds. [A Guide to Toxic Plants in Singapore]

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