Solanum lycopersicum L.

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

Type

Type: “Habitat in America calidiore”, Herb. Linnaeus 248.16 (LINN!, lecto. designated by Deb in Journ. Econ. Bot., 1: 41 (1980)) [see also Knapp & Jarvis in J.L.S. 104: 342, f.12 (1990) & Jarvis, Order out of Chaos: 860 (2007)]

Morphology General

Annual herb, erect, procumbent, trailing or straggling up to 2 m in height, sometimes using associated vegetation for support; branches spreading or ascending, stems fleshy or herbaceous, light to dark green; all parts viscid-pubescent with eglandular and glandular hairs, denser on young vegetative and floral stems

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, imparipinnate, usually strongly aromatic, 9–31 × 6–14 cm with rachides 4.2–14 cm long, usually interrupted imparipinnate with 2–8 pairs of leaflets which light green above, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3–5(–7) × 1–3.8(–5) cm, bases cordate to cuneate, usually oblique, irregularly and usually deeply incised and serrate to sinuate, apices obtuse, acute or acuminate; surfaces viscid, pubescent below, sparser above, often stipulate and alternating with small entire ovate interstitial leaflets 0.8–1.2 × 0.6–0.7 cm; petioles 1.2–7 cm long, petiolules 0.4–2 cm, often with small pairs of leaflets

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences leaf-opposed to extra-axillary racemose simple or forked cymes, usually 5–12-flowered; flowers pendent, usually 5partite but often 6–10-partite in cultivars; peduncles 0.5–3.5 cm long in flower, 2–4.8 cm long in fruit; pedicels 4–15 mm long in flower, 1–1.6 cm long in fruit, articulated at or above the middle from where deflexed in flower and in fruit; axes pubescent with short appressed and long spreading glandular-headed hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx campanulate/stellate, divided almost to base, 3.5–11 mm long, densely pubescent externally; lobes narrowly triangular to lanceolate, 3–9 × 0.7–2 mm, acute, strongly reflexed in fruit when 7–14 × 1.5–2.8 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla yellow, with greenish basal star, stellate, 1.4–2.4 cm diameter, tube 0.5–1.3 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular to lanceolate, 5–9 × 1.3–3(–4) mm, glandular-pubescent externally, glabrous internally, strongly reflexed exposing androecium after anthesis

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens equal; filaments flat, fused to each other forming a ring, 0.3–0.8 mm long, pubescent to glabrescent; anthers yellow, 5.5–7 × 0.6–1.3 mm, connivent to form a bottle-shaped cone 5–8 × 1.8–3.6 mm with sterile beak, dehiscing by lateral fissures from apex of fertile section

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary usually bilocular but plurilocular with false septa in cultivated varieties, 1.3–1.6 × 1.8–2 mm, ridged, glabrous; style straight, 5.5–7.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, hairy in lower part, usually included, occasionally exserted to 1 mm; stigma green, capitate, sometimes bilobed, 0.2–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit red, orange or yellow, globose, ovoid to pyriform berries, 1–10 cm diameter, often depressed or irregularly lobed, glabrous and smooth, pericarp thick, sweet-tasting

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds usually > 100, yellow to light brown, elliptic-ovoid, 3–3.8 × 1.7–2.4 mm, flattened, verrucate, often covered with the remnants of strands of thickening appearing as pseudo-hairs, enclosed in mucilage; sclerotic granules absent.

Ecology

Widely cultivated, and a common to occasional escape on roadsides and in waste places, frequently near habitation; often naturalised on river banks, in marshy areas, woodland, forest areas and open places; spread by birds and baboons; 750–2000 m

Note

Commonly known as the Tomato, Golden- or Love-apple, this species is one of the most important global vegetables which is cultivated in most tropical and temperate countries, but which is now only known in cultivation. Over 500 cultivars have been bred resulting in enormous variations in fruit size, shape and colour. The small-fruited L. esculentum Mill. var . cerasiforme (Dunal) Alef., for example, is commonly known as the cherry tomato. The fruits are eaten raw or cooked, with commercial tomato sauce being made from the berry flesh, while the leaves are used as a vegetable. The species probably originated in Peru or Ecuador from where, in pre-Colombian times, it could have spread north as a weed (cf. Mansfeld, 2001). The considerable morphological diversity found in Mexico suggests that it was first domesticated there, and this may have been the source of the first tomatoes to reach Europe (cf. Heiser, 1969). It is widely grown thoughout Africa; in the floral area it is cultivated for home consumption, and for sale in both local markets and the cities. Nevertheless, African herbarium specimens of this species are rare even though the tomato is considered to be the most important vegetable crop in most West African countries (Rouamba in van den Berg et al. (eds), Solanaceae V: 245–250 (2001)). An extensive list of synonyms of this species – as Lycopersicon esculentum - is given in Mansfeld (2001) together with a bibliography of relevant references and in the more recent publication by Peralta et al. (2008). This species and related taxa contain steroidal glycoalkaloids, with the major component being α-tomatine.

Distribution

Flora districts: U4 K4 T2 T3 T4 Range: Native to the Andes of S America, but now cultivated and escaped throughout the world including Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Bioko, Central African Republic, Congo-Kinshasa, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimb Range: Madagascar, Comoro Islands, St Helena, Seychelles & Ascension Islands, Rodrigues and Mauritius, S, C & E Europe, the Middle East, India, China, N, C and S America but nowhere truly naturalised

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 100 - 2500 m.

Distribution

Cultivated in Colombia.

Morphology General Habit

Herb.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 100–2500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, San Andrés y Providencia, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Herb, Climbing.

Ecology

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

Vernacular

Tomate, Tomate común, Tomate de riñón, Tomate grande

Vernacular

Bovista

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb, with glandular aromatic hairs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves petiolate; blade at least 10–20 cm long, mostly pinnately divided into ovate-lanceolate, irregularly serrate segments

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-lobes lanceolate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla yellow, 2–2.5 cm in diam.; lobes narrowly oblong

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers 6–10 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style c. 12 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Berry red to yellow, subglobose, ovoid or pear-shaped, very variable in size

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2–4 mm long, enclosed in mucilage.

Distribution

Widely cultivated in Somalia; native to South America.

Vernacular

Nyaanya, yaanya (Somali); tomato (English).

Use Animal Food

Used as animal food.

Use Environmental

Environmental uses.

Use Gene Sources

Used as gene sources.

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Invertebrate Food

Used as invertebrate food.

Use Materials

Used as material.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.

Use Poisons

Poisons.

Use Social

Social uses.

Use

Edible fruits