Chernaya Roza (Name means ‘Black Rose’, in Russian) (it is also called 'DPUN 154')
This cultivar was test grown in Russia at the 'Kara-Kala Turkmenistan Experimental Station'. The original cutting was most likely from a farmers field 'since it was a cultivated variety at the time'.
That 'Experimental Station' donated cuttings of 'Chernaya Roza' which were imported to the USA 'by Thompson Southwestern Arboretum' on January 22nd 1999.
This cultivar can reach about 12 feet in height, is very resistant to drought.
Its fruit is small, the skin of its fruit is a very dark purple, almost black, yet its fruit is among some of the most beautiful pomegranate fruit, you’ll ever set your eyes upon.
Its juice has a sweet-sour-very tart juice taste, sweetness is about a 5, sourness is about a 10, the juice and the flesh is a very dark red, the fleshy white stuff stains purple. The flavor of its juice is okay. Its fruit ripens in October, and in November, although it does ripen much earlier in warmer climates. Its fruit is very seedy, those seeds are very hard yet crunchy, harder than the seeds of the 'Wonderful' cultivar, rather than woody/fibrous seeds, the oil in it's seeds is high quality. This would be a good cultivar for use in hybridization. This cultivar originated from the Turkmenistan Experimental Station. This cultivar is commonly grown in 'Le Midi', 'Le Midi' is a name for 'Southern France'.
This cultivar blooms in 'June and July', even earlier in warmer climates. This cultivar is self-fertile (Self-fruitful) although if there is a pomegranate of a different cultivar nearby it can increase fruit set by up to 20%.
Very cold hardy, can sometimes regrow from its trunk, after die back to the ground, and still bear fruit. 'Chernaya Roza' is one of the pomegranate cultivars which you can try growing when your climate is too cold for the average pomegranate cultivar. Hardy down to at least -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit). Most likely it's more cold hardy than that.
