Cyphomandra betacea (Cav.) Sendtn.
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Authority
Bohs, Lynn A. 1994. Cyphomandra (Solanaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 63: 154. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Solanaceae
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Scientific Name
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Synonyms
Solanum betaceum Cav., Pionandra betacea (Cav.) Miers, Cyphomandra procera Wawra, Solanum insigne Lowe, Cyphomandra crassifolia (Ortega) Kuntze, Solanum crassifolium Ortega, Solanum crassifolium Ortega
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Description
Species Description - Small tree 2-7 m tall. Branches densely puberulent. Leaf blades simple, unlobed, chartaceous, acuminate at apex, moderately puberulent adaxially, more densely so on veins, densely puberulent abaxially ; petioles densely puberulent. Trunk leaves simple, unlobed, the blade ovate, 25-40 cm long, 20-35 cm wide, length:width ratio ca. 1-1.5:1, the base cordate to auriculate with basal lobes 3-6 cm long; petioles 15-25 cm long. Crown leaves (3-)4 per sympodial unit, simple, unlobed, the blade ovate, 7-20 cm long, 6-15 cm wide, length:width ratio ca. 1.5:1, the base cordate to auriculate with basal lobes 1.5-3 cm long; petioles 3-10 cm long. Inflorescence (unbranched or) branched, 10-50-flowered, 2.5-15 cm long; peduncle 1.5-9 cm long; rachises 2-8 cm long; pedicels 10-20 mm long, 15-50 mm long in fruit, 3-10 mm apart, articulated above the base, leaving pedicellar remnants 1-3 mm long; peduncle, rachises, and pedicels moderately to densely puberulent. Flower buds ellipsoidal to ovoid, obtuse to acuminate at apex. Calyx fleshy, sparsely to densely puberulent, the radius 3-5 mm, the lobes 1-2 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, obtuse to truncate, apiculate. Corolla pinkish white, subcoriaceous to fleshy, stellate, the radius 10-15 mm, the tube 2-3 mm long, the lobes narrowly triangular, 7-12 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, glabrous abaxially and adaxially, the margin tomentose, the apex acute. Anther thecae pale yellow, lanceolate, 5-6 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, the pores directed adaxially and distally; connective bright lemon-yellow, narrowly triangular, 4.5-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, abaxially slightly shorter than thecae at apex, equal to or slightly shorter than them at base, adaxially absent. Ovary glabrous; style glabrous, cylindrical, not dilated distally, 5-6 mm long, 0.5-1 mm in diam., exserted 1-2.5 mm beyond stamens; stigma truncate, 0.5-1 mm in diam. Fruit ellipsoidal or ovoid, obtuse or acute at apex, 4-10 cm long, 3-5 cm in diam., glabrous, yellow to orange, red, or purple, often with darker longitudinal stripes; mesocarp with stone cell aggregates; seeds 3-4 mm long, 3.5-4 mm wide, densely pubescent.
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Discussion
Local names and uses. Cyphomandra betacea is most commonly called "tomate de arbol " (Spanish), "tomate de árvore" (Portuguese), and “tree tomato” (English). In New Zealand, the fruits are known as "tamarillos." For a more complete list of vernacular names of this species, see Bohs (1989c).
The fruits are very popular in Latin America, where they are eaten raw and cooked in various dishes. The leaves are used medicinally as a poultice against sore throat in Ecuador (Filskov et al. 37010). For a more information on the uses of this species, see Bohs (1989c).Cyphomandra betacea can be distinguished from all other members of the genus by its white or pinkish, subcoriaceous corollas, its cylindrical styles and unexpanded stigmas, and its large, orange or reddish fruits. It is most closely related to C. acuminata and C. uniloba and can form hybrids with both of these species in greenhouse crosses (Bohs, 1991). It differs from both by having chartaceous leaf blades with deep basal lobes, abundant puberulence, and reddish fruits. Cyphomandra betacea superficially resembles C. hypomalaca; both have similar leaves, inflorescences, and gynoecia. However, C. hypomalaca most likely belongs to the Cyphomandropsis alliance and therefore is not a close relative of C. betacea. Cyphomandra hypomalaca has denser and longer indumentum and small, globose, pubescent fruits.The tree tomato is grown worldwide in subtropical areas for its edible fruits, but the natural range and place of origin of this species are still unknown. Herbarium specimens exist from nearly all countries in the Western Hemisphere, but many of these collections are from cultivated plants, and herbarium records do not reveal reliably whether a collection is wild, cultivated, or naturalized. Indeed, C. betacea has often been described as being known only from cultivation. According to several recent reports (Bohs, 1989c; Brucher, 1968, 1977; J. Solomon, pers, comm.; E. Zardini, pers, comm.), wild populations of C. betacea can be found in southern Bolivia and adjacent areas of northwestern Argentina in the floristic province known as "bosque Tucumano-Boliviana" (Cabrera, 1976).Herbarium specimens from these areas show no morphological differences from those of other regions of Latin America and the Old World. Field studies may distinguish wild from cultivated populations with characters not preserved in herbarium material, e.g., fruit characters or differences in breeding systems. The apparent close relationship of C. betacea with C. acuminata and C. uniloba, both from Bolivia, is additional evidence for a Bolivian origin of C. betacea.The fruits of C. betacea are becoming an important item in international commerce, thanks to the commercial cultivation and horticultural improvement undertaken in New Zealand. The recent development of C. betacea as a specialty fruit crop has given new importance to the search for wild populations and place of origin. Germ-plasm collection from wild populations should be a high priority.Considerable confusion has existed with regard to the correct name of the cultivated tree tomato. Cavanilles was the first to describe this taxon, as Solanum betaceum, from a specimen growing at the Real Jardín Botánico in Madrid. His first description appears in 1799 in Volume 1 of the Anales de Historia Natural, a later description and plate were published in 1801 in Cavanilles’ Icones. In 1800 Ortega described Solanum crassifolium from a cultivated specimen in Madrid. This name is synonymous with Cavanilles’ species, and is a later homonym of Solanum crassifolium Lam. (1794) and Solanum crassifolium Salisb. (1796).Difficulties arose when later authors transferred the species to Cyphomandra. Sendtner (1845) properly used the name Cyphomandra betacea, but Kuntze, ignoring Cavanilles’ name, erected the combination Cyphomandra crassifolia (Ort.) Kuntze in 1898. Adding to the confusion, Macbride in 1930, stating that the tree tomato "has never been christened properly," made the combination C. crassifolia (Ort.) Macbride. His citation incorrectly lists the date of Ortega’s ninth decade as 1797 and omits Cavanilles’ earliest publication of the name S. betaceum in the Anales de Historia Natural. Sandwith (1938) clarified this situation, concluding that the rightful name of the tree tomato is indeed C. betacea (Cav.) Sendtn. Macbride, however, persisted in the use of the name C. crassifolia (Ort.) Kuntze in his Flora of Peru (Macbride, 1962) and confusion has prevailed. The name C. crassifolia should be retired once and for all, and the tree tomato must be called C. betacea (Cav.) Sendtner.The sheet annotated as Solanum betaceum by Cavanilles at MA has been designated as the lectotype of this name; this sheet also includes Cavanilles’ notes and drawings he used when formulating his description. Several other specimens at C and G were apparently sent by Cavanilles from Madrid and may be isolectotypes.No type specimens have yet been located for Solanum crassifolium Ortega. This taxon, like S. betaceum Cav., was described from a plant cultivated at Madrid. Perhaps no type specimens were ever preserved.Lowe first mentioned Solanum insigne in 1867 from a plant cultivated on the island of Madeira. However, Lowe used this name provisionally in 1867, and thus it was not validly published (Art. 34 of ICBN; Greuter et al., 1988)until 1868 when he provided a description and Latin diagnosis. Lowe did not cite a type specimen, but a specimen at BM marked "Solanum insigne Lowe" collected on Madeira in 1871 has been designated as the lectotype.I have not been able to positively locate the type of C. procera Wawra. There is a specimen at W collected by Drs. Wawra and Maly with the annotation "Cyphomandra betacea Sendt., Schönbr." This collection belongs to C. betacea and has a sinuate and lobed leaf as noted in Wawra’s protologue, probably as the result of a viral infection. However, nowhere does this or any other sheet examined have the annotation C. procera. Regardless of the location of the type, Wawra’s description fits C. betacea in all particulars and his C. procera is here regarded as a synonym. -
Common Names
tomate de arbol, tomate de árvore, tree tomato, tamarillos
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Objects
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Distribution
Cultivated throughout the Andes in subtropical climates, 1000-3000 m in elevation; probably introduced into Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies; in cultivation in Spain, Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, the Canary Islands, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zaire, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Ceylon, Bhutan, Sumatra, Java, New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.
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