Habit: Shrub, small tree, glabrous.
Stem: branches generally many, from near base, often a thorn at tip.
Leaf: simple, +- opposite, entire, deciduous.
Inflorescence: flowers 1, terminal, 0--4 subterminal, clustered.
Flower: bisexual, radial, hypanthium bell-shaped to cylindric, leathery; sepals 5--9, epicalyx lobes 0; petals 5--9, crumpled; stamens many, inserted at many levels in hypanthium; ovary inferior [partly superior], chambers generally 5 or more, irregular [or regular].
Fruit: berry, +- spheric, leathery, crowned by calyx, splitting irregularly.
Seed: many, outer seed coat fleshy, juicy, inner hard.
Species In Genus: 2 species: Mediterranean, northeastern Africa to Himalayas.
Etymology: (Latin: from early name malus Punicus, "apple of Carthage")
Jepson eFlora Author: Shirley A. Graham
Reference: [Lersten & Horner 2005 Amer J Bot 92:1935--1941]
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)
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