'Sumbar' is said to have originally been from 'northern Iran' in the 'Sumbar valley' region of Western Kopetdag.
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 'Sumbar' which were imported to the USA 'by Thompson Southwestern Arboretum' on January 22nd 1999.
In the ground this cultivar can reach about 12 feet in height, and about 8 feet in width, it is very resistant to drought once it's well rooted in the ground.
The fruit of ‘Sumbar’ has a beautiful reddish pink skin, with a tint of orange.
The arils of its fruit are a bright red in color, the 'clear red' juice of 'Sumbar' has a 'Sweet-tart' taste, with up to 20% sugar, and those arils contain tiny very soft tender seeds! It's fruit is resistant to cracking/bursting.
‘Sumbar’ is very early ripening (ripening in about 'September', in 'October').
Its blossoms bloom '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. 'Sumbar' 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.
