Synonymy
Solanum
betaceum Cav. Icon. 6: 15, t. 524 (1800)
T:
The genus Cyphomandra was separated from Solanum on the basis of few technical characters such as the thickening of the connective at the back of the anther. This separation from Solanum has long been questioned. Recent sequencing of DNA places Cyphomandra species clearly with Solanum.
A recent monograph on this group of species as Cyphomandra may be found in L. Bohs Cyphomandra (Solanaceae), Flora Neotropica, Monograph 63 New York Bot. Gard. (1994) 1–176 and their transfer to Solanum in L. Bohs, Taxon, 44 (1995) 583–587.
Description
Small
malodorous tree, pubescent with simple glandular hairs.
Leaves
ovate, cordate at base with the lobes overlapping; lamina of the lower and
juvenile ones to 35 cm long, 30 cm wide, others commonly c. 15 cm long, 12 cm
wide, entire; petiole 5–15 cm long.
Inflorescence
pendulous, cyme-like; pedicels 10–20 mm long. Calyx c. 5 mm long, the lobes broad,
rounded. Corolla c. 20 mm diam., pink, fleshy, scented. Filaments c. 2 mm long;
anthers 4–5 mm long, the connective broad and thick. Ovary bluntly conical;
style 5–6 mm long, stout.
Distribution and ecology
Native to
Common name
Tree Tomato, Tamarillo.
Relationships
Solanum betaceum belongs to the Cyphomandra clade of Solanum - see Solanaceae Source.
Notes
Cultivated for its edible fruit in many parts of tropical
Cultivation discussed by J. McD. Slack, Growing tamarillos (Cyphomandra
betacea). Agric. Gaz.
From the web
An image of S. betaceum can be seen on the Eurobodalla Shire site and also on the Bean interactive key site at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/images/sol_bet_klove.jpg
A
photograph of this species by Hugh & Nan Nicholson can be seen on the Terania
Rainforest Publishing Photo Library site.
A page on Solanum betacea as a threat in the Pacific can be found on the Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) at www.hear.org/pier/species/solanum_betaceum.htm
An image of
the flowers can be seen at http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/%7Edon/larvae/plants/sola/cyphomandra-betacea.jpg
Another
image with background information can be found on the Desert-Tropicals page at www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Solanaceae/Cyphomandra_betacea.html and images with
cultivation notes at www.tradewindsfruit.com/tree_tomato.htm
Further
information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site.
Information on pollination and fruit set (floral biology) of tamarillo in New Zealand can be found in Lewis & Considine (1999) New Zealand J. Crop & Hort. Science 27: 101-112, downloadable as a pdf at http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjchs/1999/13.pdf