Systematics and Taxonomic Disposition of the Genus Punica L.

The genus Punica belongs to a monogeneric family Punicaceae and includes two species viz., Punica granatum L. and P. protopunica Balf. f. However, some authors also consider the ornamental dwarf pomegranate (P. nana Pers.) as a distinct species. The systematic and taxonomic circumscription of the genus Punica has been controversial in many floras. Earlier morphological studies considered the genus Punica, under Lythraceae. However, but based on distinct features like fruits with leathery pericarp, pulpy seeds with edible sarcotesta, ovule with multilayered outer integument and unicellular archesporium, it was found to differ from other typical Lythraceae genera and was therefore, included in a separate family, Punicaceae. The inclusion of the genus Punica in the order Myrtales is not questioned, but the family under which it should be placed is still a debatable question. Here, we discuss the taxonomic implications of the genus Punica in relation to different systems of classification that are already in place and nrDNA and CpDNA sequences that have been generated for the genus Punica, to understand the phylogenetic relationships with other taxa of the order Myrtales.