Solanum betaceum Cav.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 1000 - 3000 m.; Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Morphology General Habit

Arbusto, arbolito

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 8, Part 4. Solanaceae. Gonçalves AE. 2005

Type

Type a plant cultivated in the Hortus Botanicus Matritensis, Madrid (Spain), raised from unknown origin.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Cymes ± axillary or supra-axillary, nodding or pendulous, 2–13 cm long, simple or 2–3 times branched, ± densely spreading pubescent Cymes ± axillary or supra-axillary, nodding or pendulous, 2>i>–13 cm long, simple or 2>i>–3 times branched, ± densely spreading pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels 7–12 mm long, slender, thickened upwards; in fruit much elongated and thicker

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white, ± pink tinged, in bud purple gradually changing to greenish-pink with a dark stripe on the back of each lobe, moderately thick, rotate-campanulate; limb 14–18 mm across; lobes 6–9 mm long, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, densely ciliolate, reflexed Corolla white, ± pink tinged, in bud purple gradually changing to greenish-pink with a dark stripe on the back of each lobe, moderately thick, rotate-campanulate; limb 14>i>–18 mm across; lobes 6>i>–9 mm long, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, densely ciliolate, reflexed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamen filaments 1–1. 5 mm long; anthers 4.5–5 mm long, oblong in outline, the connective strongly thickened, dorsally callous or gibbous along the length of the anther Stamen filaments 1>i>–1.5 mm long; anthers 4.5>i>–5 mm long, oblong in outline, the connective strongly thickened, dorsally callous or gibbous along the length of the anther.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 1–1. 5 mm long, conical, ± glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 5–7 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit yellow to red or purple, 3–5.5 (or more) cm long, ovoid or slightly ellipsoid, smooth, glabrous, somewhat acid, edible, the dissepiment moderately thick, with fleshy, sub-reniform placentas adnate to the middle Fruit yellow to red or purple, 3>i>–5.5 (or more) cm long, ovoid or slightly ellipsoid, smooth, glabrous, somewhat acid, edible, the dissepiment moderately thick, with fleshy, sub-reniform placentas adnate to the middle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds yellowish, 4–5 × 3–4 mm, obovate or elliptic in outline or ± reniform Seeds yellowish, 4>i>–5 × 3>i>–4 mm, obovate or elliptic in outline or ± reniform.

Ecology

Quite widely naturalized in forest regions of Africa. Forest, mountain slopes, Pinus plantations, ruderal places and other areas of disturbance particularly near roadsides in damp soil; sunny or partly shady places; up to 1158 m (1750 m in Angola).

Note

R.E. Fries, loc. cit., records this species also from Zambia (Mporokoso). Common name: "Tree Tomato". Recent molecular studies find Cyphomandra, formerly comprising about 35 species, nested within Solanum and with a number of species showing transitional features, so that it now seems best included as a subgenus of Solanum, see Spooner, Anderson & Jansen in Amer. J. Bot. 80: 676–688 (1993) and Bohs in Taxon 44: 583–587 (1995).

Distribution

Originally from Peru, now widely distributed all over the world in warm but also in temperate regions, often cultivated as a food crop mainly in the Andean Region. Zimbabwe Malawi ZIM E, MAL C

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small tree, up to 6(7) m high, usually covered with small white, sub-circular or linear spots, somewhat softly and shortly pubescent with simple hairs and papillose glandular hairs to ± glabrous. Shrub or small tree, up to 6(7) m high, usually covered with small white, sub-circular or linear spots, somewhat softly and shortly pubescent with simple hairs and papillose glandular hairs to ± glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves solitary or rarely geminate; petiole 1.5–11.5 cm long, initially clasping at the base; lamina somewhat fleshy or sub-coriaceous, 4>i>–36 × 1.5>i>–27 cm, cordate or ovate-lanceolate, base cordate and often unequal-sided, apex acute or obtuse, often ± acuminate, entire to slightly 3-lobed (elsewhere sometimes pinnatisect), densely ciliate, finely pubescent, paler and sometimes sub-velvety beneath, with 3–8 pairs of lateral nerves. Leaves solitary or rarely geminate; petiole 1. 5–11. 5 cm long, initially clasping at the base; lamina somewhat fleshy or sub-coriaceous, 4–36 × 1. 5–27 cm, cordate or ovate-lanceolate, base cordate and often unequal-sided, apex acute or obtuse, often ± acuminate, entire to slightly 3-lobed (elsewhere sometimes pinnatisect), densely ciliate, finely pubescent, paler and sometimes sub-velvety beneath, with 3–8 pairs of lateral nerves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers fragrant; pedicels 7>i>–12 mm long, slender, thickened upwards; in fruit much elongated and thicker. Flowers fragrant.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 3.5>i>–4.5 mm long, bowl-shaped or sub-campanulate, shortly spreading pubescent; lobes 1>i>–2 mm long, broadly ovate, somewhat acute or obtuse, in fruit enlarged and strongly thickened. Calyx 3.5–4.5 mm long, bowl-shaped or sub-campanulate, shortly spreading pubescent; lobes 1–2 mm long, broadly ovate, somewhat acute or obtuse, in fruit enlarged and strongly thickened

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 1>i>–1.5 mm long, conical, ± glabrous; style 5>i>–7 mm long.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 1000 - 3000 m.

Distribution

Cultivated in Colombia.

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

Morphology General Habit

Shrub.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1000–3000 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Caldas, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Shrub, Small tree.

Conservation

IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): DD.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), desert, artificial - terrestrial.

Vernacular

Pepino de tree, Tamarillo, Tomate de monte, Tomate de tree, Tomate guiteño, Tomate silvestre

Solanaceae, Jennifer M Edmonds. Oliganthes, Melongena & Monodolichopus, Maria S. Vorontsova & Sandra Knapp. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2012

Type

Type: cultivated in Hortus Madrid from seed of unknown origin in 1798–9, Cavanilles s.n. (MA, lecto. designated by Bohs in Flora Neotropica, 63: 51 (1994))

Morphology General

Shrub or small tree to 7 m high, rarely herbaceous, often malodorous; younger parts hispid, with a mixture of small spreading simple eglandular- and glandularheaded hairs, older parts glabrescent and often with small whitish spots

Morphology Leaves

Leaves usually solitary and alternate, rarely opposite, simple, coriaceous, often dark green, often foetid when bruised, broadly ovate to cordate, 10.8–40 × 5.6–26 cm, bases usually cordate occasionally unequal sometimes auriculate with overlapping or clasping lobes, margins entire , apices acuminate, surfaces prominently veined and softly hispid with hairs denser on lower surfaces, midribs and veins; petioles 2.4–13 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences terminal pendulous lax long (–60 cm) cymes, simple, forked or branched arising from stem fork or leaf axil and often appearing axillary, (5–)10–50(–100)-flowered, up to 15 cm long; flowers often fragrant, actinomorphic; peduncles 1.5–2.2 cm long in flower and 1.8–5 cm in fruit; pedicels always pendulous, 6–16 mm long in flower, ± hispid, 1.6–5.2 cm long in fruit when woody and thickened, articulate at or near the base leaving rachis scars

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx fleshy, cyathiform, 2.5–4.5 mm long, sparsely hirsute with glandular hairs externally, with five broadly triangular acute or apiculate lobes 1–2.5 × 1.9–3 mm, slightly accrescent and persistent in fruit when 1.5–4 × 2.5–5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white, pink or pale purple, stellate, fleshy, 1.3–2 cm diameter, tube 1.5–3 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular, usually spreading after anthesis with apices recurved, 7–11 × 2–4 mm, acute to acuminate, lobe margins densely pilose internally, otherwise glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens usually equal, connivent; filaments pale pink, free for 1.5–2 mm, glabrous; anthers bright yellow or orange, 4.5–6 × 1.3–2.9 mm, dehiscing by small apical pores, with broad connective forming darker gibbose thickened band (0.7–1.2 mm) along backs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary greenish-white, 4 × 2–3 mm, glabrous, bilocular; style greenish-white, 5–6(–7) × 0.7–0.8 mm, glabrous, exserted up to 2 mm; stigma greenish-white, truncate to subcapitate, sometimes bilobed, 0.6–0.7 mm diameter

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit pendulous, sub-fleshy, orange to dark red or purple, dull, ovoid to ellipsoidal, (2.2–)5–10 × 2–5 cm, with acute or acuminate apex, pericarp thick and smooth, softly pubescent to glabrous, bilocular; fruiting calyx lobes adherent becoming reflexed basally

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds numerous, pale reddish-brown, discoid, (3–)4–4.2 × (2.5) 3–3.8 mm, rugose, shallowly reticulate-foveate with narrow winged margin; sclerotic granules sometimes present

Ecology

Introduced and naturalised (following bird dispersal) on roadsides, drier and moist forest types , often in deep shade, clearings or on wet ground; 1050–2050 m

Note

Commonly known as the tree tomato or tamarillo, the fruits are eaten raw, stewed or made into jam which has a pleasant fragrant taste, though the unripe fruits are considered slightly toxic. The fruits have a high vitamin content, with large amounts of ascorbic acid and vitamin D and they are very rich in carotene, making them good sources of pro-vitamin A. Despite the inflorescences bearing large numbers of flowers, only 1–5 fruits mature on each infructescence; these are predominantly bird-dispersed. The natural range and place of origin of S. betaceum remains conjectural (cf. Bohs, 1989). Truly wild populations are unknown though there are tentative reports of them occurring in Bolivia and NW Argentina; the plants are almost always associated with human habitation, with its possible depiction on pre-Colombian Peruvian pottery vessels suggesting that this species might have been domesticated by prehistoric inhabitants of the Andes (Bohs, 1989). This, however, has been disputed by some researchers who favour the relatively recent domestication of this species. It is now widely cultivated for both culinary and ornamental purposes in subtropical countries throughout the world including India, SE Asia, New Zealand and Australia as well as Africa.  Hunziker (Genera Solanaceae: 320 (2001)) summarized the alkaloid mixture isolated from ‘ Cyphomandra betacea’ roots, surmising that this seemed to be the first reported species of a plant with atropine-like alkaloids and edible fruits. Amines and amides have also been found in ‘ C. betacea’ (Bohs, 1989). Medicinal uses of this species include the use of warmed leaves in poultices for sore throats, fruit pulp in poultices for inflammed tonsils. The leaves have also been used as a source of dyes (cf. Bohs, 1989). This is the only species of ‘ Cyphomandra’ found in the FTEA region where it is universally known as C. betacea (Cav.) Sendtn. This genus has largely been separated from Solanum on the basis of a thickened connective separating the two anther thecae – which appears as a thickened column on the backs of the anthers. Indeed the generic name is derived from the Greek kyphos meaning a tumour or curve and andros meaning male and referring to this curved thickened anther connective. The volatile perfumes produced in the epidermal cells of this connective attract pollinating male euglossine bees (cf. Hunziker, 2001).

Distribution

Flora districts: U2 U4 T2 T3 T7 Range: Probably native to Bolivia or NW Argentina Range: Cultivated, often naturalised in Ghana, Congo, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Angola, Zimbabwe, South Africa (Natal) and Madagascar Range: Tropical and subtropical South and Central America, the West Indies, Spain, India, China, Papua New Guinea, Australia

Vernacular

Tomate silvestre