Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.
var. cerasiforme Alef.
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Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.var. cerasiforme Alef.
Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)South AmericaCherry Tomato |
January Photo
Plant Characteristics:
Annual or short lived perennial, spreading, hairy-pubescent and more or
less glandular, strong smelling, 3-6 ft. or more, the young growth on mature
plants erect; lvs. odd-pinnate with small lfts. interposed, 6-18 in. long; main
lfts. 5-9, stalked, ovate to oblong, 2-3 in. long, acuminate, irregularly
toothed, margins tending to roll inward; fls. yellow, 3-7, nodding, 3/4 in. or
more across, on jointed pedicels; fr. red or yellow, usually flattened at the
ends, 2-3 in. across, the sides furrowed or angled.
Var. cerasiforme, the Cherry Tomato has thinner lvs.,
mostly smaller and usually less acuminate; fls. prevailingly in longer clusters;
fr. globular and regular, about 3/4 in. in diam., red or yellow, few celled.
Habitat:
The cultivated tomato escapes from cultivation and persists for some time
in waste places. Blooms
summer-fall.
Name:
Greek, Lycopersicon, wolf peach, probably in reference to supposed
poisonous qualities. (Bailey 869). Latin, esculentum, good to eat. (Jaeger 97). Latin,
cerasinus, cherry-red and or Greek kerasos, the cherry tree.
(Jaeger 51).
General:
Uncommon in the study area, first found in a small draw just below the
bluff tops going from Delhi to 23rd. Street. Later found as an occasional escape
in several locations, however, only one of these has persisted and this above
the wooden horse and bike path near the Delhi Ditch. (my comments).
Eating tomatoes cuts prostate cancer risk in
half, we hear from Dr. Edward Giovannucci.
Approximately 10% of all men develop prostate cancer.
A new study found that men who ate 10 or more servings of tomatoes each
week benefited from the high content of lycopene, an antioxidant.
Other antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and Vitamin A, had no effect on
the risk of prostate cancer. Cooked
tomato products seemed to bring out more lycopene than raw ones. While tomatoes are the best food source of lycopene, there is
a variety of other cancer fighting foods to include in your diet, such as
broccoli, cabbage, soybeans and carrots. (Giovanucci,
Edward. No title given, in an excerpt from an article in The Journal of the
National Cancer Institute. (Bottom
Line Personal 15 January, 1996, p.3).
For centuries the fruit was thought to be poisonous and planted in
gardens as an ornamental. Although we now know fresh tomatoes are harmless, the foliage
and vines do contain alkaloid poisons (solanine).
Children have been severely poisoned from making a "tea" from
the leaves and livestock have died from eating the foliage and vines.
(James 72). The anthers of Lycopersicon and Solanum contain
apically-pored (salt-shaker-like) anthers that release pollen in response to
vibration. Bumble bees have the ability to vibrate their bodies by rapidly
oscillating their wing muscles without engaging the wings.
Honey bees do not have this ability, consequently the bumble bee is used
commercially to pollinate hothouse tomatoes.
(Thorp, Robbin W., Schroeder, Peter C., and Ferguson,
Text Ref:
Bailey 869; Munz, Calif. Flora 600.
Photo Ref: Jan 2 84 # E;
Jan 4-Feb 1 84 # 2,3.
Identity: by R. De Ruff.
First Found: January 1984.
Computer Ref: Plant Data 280.
No plant specimen.
Last edit 5/22/04.
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April Photo