Need help identifying a Pomegranate tree -- possibly Parfianka?
Two years ago, I bought a "Parfianka" pomegranate tree from Lowes (in San Jose, CA) along with a Wonderful pomegranate tree. I planted them in October 2013, and the Wonderful fruited the very next spring, giving me 9 giant delicious red fruits by November 2014.
I loved how the Wonderful poms tasted last year -- sweet AND tart -- a delicious combination!
This year, my Parfiankas have 12 large fruits! I read that Parfianka is ready by late summer, and the poms are indeed bigger than my fists and deep magenta right now. (The Wonderful fruits are still small and just starting to turning red in blushes).
Yesterday, I cut off a smaller Parfianka fruit to taste, and I'm a little disappointed in their flavor so far, which is just too sweet with no tartness. (Kind of one-note.). I had read that Parfianka was a taste-test winner and is supposed to taste similar to Wonderful, but with soft edible seeds.
However, the Parfianka fruit I tasted was sweet only, no tartness at all. I find white or pink pomegranate varieties to be too sweet and one-dimensional, which is why I avoid them in general.
Is it possible that what I have is not a Parfianka at all? Or do I have to let the fruit hang a little longer on the tree for it to develop its full flavor?
I have read that sometimes nurseries mislabel their plant varieties, so I'm trying to see if what I have is indeed a "Parfianka". I have Wonderful Pomegranates as a base for comparison, and they do have very different growth patterns.
One very distinct feature for my Parfiankas is that the young fruit is two-toned: bright green on the round part and hot pink on the tips (calyx). The green part becomes more hot pink as it grows, and then overall ripens to a deep magenta. The calyx is large and more of a volcano shape.
In contrast, the young Wonderful fruit is entirely dull green with dark red speckles that look like rashes. It stays dull green for the majority of growth and then starts turning red in splotches, until it ripens to a dark red. The calyx is smaller, thinner and flares out at the tip.
So, can I ask if any of you with Parfianka pomegranate trees find that yours fits the same description as mine (growth and taste-wise)? Are your Parfianka fruits ripe right about now too? (The Wonderfuls are still small and greenish).
I'm hoping that someone could help put my mind at ease by confirming the true identity of my pomegranate tree,
Thanks for any help you can give.
Regards,
Sandy
Comments (13)
bleedingdirt (San Jose, CA Zone 9B)
8 years agoHi Sandy,
I'm from San Jose too! You do seem to have a Parfianka. Mine looks exactly like yours. I'd say wait a while for the fruit to ripen properly. They are supposed to ripen late Sept/early Oct. Mine might be even later since the tree blossomed only in late June. When did yours bloom?
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSandy (Zone 9, San Jose, CA)
8 years agoHm, that's interesting. From my personal experience and what I've read, Parfianka's are supposed to be ready by "late summer", and Wonderfuls by "late fall". Some people pick them too early, not realizing it, and then give them a bad review for taste. That happens with Avocados a lot too. Actually, poms will sometimes split after a big rain and not because of over ripening. I've had some from my neighbor's large tree that were fully split, and they were delicious! But split poms are generally undesirable because they are susceptible to bugs, not easy to store, and aren't as pretty.
Well, it sounds like your Parfianka and mine are the same age. What nursery did you buy yours from? Here's what mine looked like the first season:
And this is what it looked like now:
I had no fruits the first season, and 12 fruits this season too. Most of them are large, so I am pretty excited! (I wrap some of the fruit in white plastic to prevent sun-scald).
bleedingdirt (San Jose, CA Zone 9B)
8 years agoHi Sandy,
I bought my tree from God's Little Acre nursery in Almaden. It has a Dave Wilson nursery tag IDing it as a Parfianka. The nursery owner told me that Parfianka is a couple of weeks later than Wonderful here. Here are my pics, last year and then a week ago.
fireballsocal
8 years agobleedingdirt (San Jose, CA Zone 9B)
8 years agoSandy (Zone 9, San Jose, CA)
8 years agobleedingdirt (San Jose, CA Zone 9B)
8 years agoSandy (Zone 9, San Jose, CA)
8 years agoSure, here are some close up pics of the parfianka fruit and arils. The picture of the arils came from a medium fist-sized fruit, with a pretty thick rind. I find that my Wonderfuls have a thinner rind. (The quarter is for scale, on one of my larger fruits).
fireduck
8 years agoSandy (Zone 9, San Jose, CA)
8 years agobleedingdirt (San Jose, CA Zone 9B)
8 years ago
Sandy (Zone 9, San Jose, CA)Original Author