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Cyphomandra betacea

Common name:	Tree Tomato	Family:	Solanaceae
Author:	(Cav.)Sendtn.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Solanum betaceum (Cav.), Cyphomandra crassicaulis ((Ortega.)Kuntze.)
Known Hazards:	The unripe fruit is slightly toxic[200].
Range:	S. America - Peru.
Habitat:	Dry soils at forest margins[200]. Open forests at medium to high altitudes[260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. crassifolia[G,P] Solanum crassifolium[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Tree Tomato [H,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	betacea = beet like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Solanales. Potato family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 5m by 4m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[3, 46, 61]. The flavour can vary considerably from tree to tree, the best forms are juicy and sub-acid, they are eaten out of hand, added to salads, used in preserves, jams, jellies etc[183, 196]. The fruit contains about 150 IU vitamin A per 100g, 25mg vitamin C, it is rich in vitamin E and iron but low in carbohydrate[196]. Fruits are 4 - 10cm long and 3 - 5cm wide[196].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a sunny position in any well-drained soil[196, 200]. Prefers a light fertile soil[196]. Dislikes drought[196]. Plants are very prone to wind damage[196]. They fruit best with a temperature range of 16 - 22°c in the growing season[196].
The tree tomato is cultivated for its edible fruit in sub-tropical and tropical zones[46, 61], there are some named varieties[183]. It is not winter hardy in Britain, though it can be pot grown outdoors in the summer and brought into a warmer place for the winter[3]. It requires a minimum winter temperature of 10°c for best fruit production but it is hardy to about -2°c[3, 196]. Trees produce about 20 kg of fruit a year, yields of 15 - 17 tonnes per hectare are achieved in New Zealand[196]. Plants are probably insensitive to day-length[196].
Very fast growing, it starts to fruit within two years from seed[200] and reaches peak production in 3 - 4 years[196]. Trees are, however, short-lived - the life of a commercial plantation is about 8 years[196].
This species does not hybridize easily with other members of the genus[196].
Plants have a shallow spreading root system and resent surface hoeing, they are best given a good mulch[196].
Plants usually ripe their fruit over a period of time, though pruning methods can be used to produce a peak time of fruiting[196].
The leaves have a pungent smell[196].
Plants are subject to attacks by red spider mites.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 4 weeks at 15°c[K], within 2 weeks at 25°c[164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of greenwood in a frame[200].

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The leaves have a pungent smell.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Solanaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

Need Assistance

Susan Snyder (srs987@aol.com) Sun May 20 00:55:28 2001

A friend has given me two Tomato Trees - and I need advice on what they are and how to go about getting them to produce fruit. The ad which he purchased them from claims they are a hybrid from New Zealand. I've had them one year...they are developing small trunks with large leaves (which are falling off at the bottom.) The advertisement says they should be pruned and I have no idea how to do this. They are inside now, in containers and about 2 feet high. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Details of Growing Condition: Northern West Virginia...Inside Home....in large pots.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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