Dunhuang murals belong to the World Cultural Heritage, with different aesthetic characteristics and artistic styles from secular paintings, plant patterns as an extremely important form of artistic expression has always run through it, the murals are rich in flowers and trees, lush forests and grasses, and rich in species connotations.
The plant in the Dunhuang murals - pomegranate
Photo by Song Ding
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) deciduous tree or shrub plant, single-leaf paraphyletic or clustered, no leaves; flower apical, solitary, clustered or polygonal inflorescence, flowers nearly bell-shaped, multi-folded, tile-like arrangement; berry spherical, fleshy seed coat, thicker peel. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
Pomegranate flowers are large and colorful, long flowering period, bright fruit color, rich in nutrition, rich in vitamin C, both can be observed flowers, but also can eat fruit, both ornamental and edible value, deeply loved by people. At the same time, pomegranates are sweet in taste, have astringent astringent intestines, insecticide and diarrhea, etc., and have certain medicinal value.
Pomegranate pattern in frescoes
(Source: China Wildlife Conservation Association Public Account Editor Wang Qiang)