Solanum viarum
Solanum lycopersicum
tropical soda apple
garden tomato, tomate, tomato
petiolate;
petiole 3–6 cm;
blade simple, ovate to suborbiculate, 7–10(–20) × 6–8(–15) cm, margins coarsely lobed with 3–5 lobes per side, lobe margins entire to coarsely toothed, base truncate to cordate.
petiolate;
petiole 2–10 cm;
blade compound, elliptic, 10–30+ × 5–25 cm, margins divided with 3(–5) pairs of leaflets, interspersed with smaller interjected leaflets, leaflet margins toothed, base truncate to cordate.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
lateral, extra-axillary, simple or rarely forked, 4–15-flowered, to 10 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
articulated near middle, 0.5–2 cm in flower, to 3 cm in fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed or sparsely prickly, 3–4 mm, densely pubescent, lobes triangular;
corolla greenish or whitish, stellate, 1.5–2.5 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 5.5–7(–10) mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary densely pubescent, hairs glandular and eglandular.
radially symmetric;
calyx accrescent, unarmed, 5–25 mm, lobes 5–7, lanceolate-acuminate;
corolla yellow, pentagonal to stellate, 1–3 cm diam., with interpetalar tissue at margins and bases of lobes;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 6–11 mm, each with a sterile apical appendage, dehiscent by oblong pores that open into introrse, longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous or glandular-puberulent.
light green mottled with dark green when young, yellow when ripe, globose, (1.5–)2–3 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
usually red, orange, or yellow, globose to ellipsoid or obovoid, 1.5–12 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
pale brown, flattened, 2–4 × 1.5–2 mm, pubescent.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum lycopersicum
In the United States, Solanum viarum was first collected in Florida in 1988 and has subsequently become an aggressive and invasive species in the Southeast. It is on the Federal Noxious Weeds List and is classified as a noxious weed or plant pest in many states. Cattle and other animals eat the fruits and spread the seeds through their feces, and the seeds are coated with a sticky substance that makes them adhere to farm equipment when the plants are mowed. It can form large patches that are difficult to eradicate due to their extensive root systems and sharp prickles. It is a major agricultural pest and a threat to native ecosystems.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The tomato is a major agricultural crop and is commonly grown in home gardens. The fruits can have a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors and are used raw or cooked in a vast array of dishes. Other parts of the plants are considered to be poisonous. The flowers can commonly be six- to eight-merous, especially in varieties selected for very large fruits.
The ancestors of Solanum lycopersicum were originally from western South America, but the species is now known only from cultivation. Tomatoes frequently escape from cultivation or germinate in compost piles or garbage dumps but are very susceptible to frost, rarely persist, and are not invasive, even in warm climates.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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