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Cyphomandra betacea - (Cav.)Sendtn.

Tree Tomato

Author	(Cav.)Sendtn.	Botanical references	200
Family	Solanaceae	Genus	Cyphomandra
Synonyms	Cyphomandra crassicaulis - (Ortega.)Kuntze. Solanum betaceum - Cav.
Known Hazards	The unripe fruit is slightly toxic[200].
Range	S. America - Peru.
Habitat	Dry soils at forest margins[200]. Open forests at medium to high altitudes[260].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Tree growing to 5m by 4m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[3, 46, 61]. The flavour can vary considerably from tree to tree, the best forms are juicy and sub-acid, they are eaten out of hand, added to salads, used in preserves, jams, jellies etc[183, 196]. The fruit contains about 150 IU vitamin A per 100g, 25mg vitamin C, it is rich in vitamin E and iron but low in carbohydrate[196]. Fruits are 4 - 10cm long and 3 - 5cm wide[196].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

The leaves have a pungent smell.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a sunny position in any well-drained soil[196, 200]. Prefers a light fertile soil[196]. Dislikes drought[196]. Plants are very prone to wind damage[196]. They fruit best with a temperature range of 16 - 22°c in the growing season[196]. The tree tomato is cultivated for its edible fruit in sub-tropical and tropical zones[46, 61], there are some named varieties[183]. It is not winter hardy in Britain, though it can be pot grown outdoors in the summer and brought into a warmer place for the winter[3]. It requires a minimum winter temperature of 10°c for best fruit production but it is hardy to about -2°c[3, 196]. Trees produce about 20 kg of fruit a year, yields of 15 - 17 tonnes per hectare are achieved in New Zealand[196]. Plants are probably insensitive to day-length[196]. Very fast growing, it starts to fruit within two years from seed[200] and reaches peak production in 3 - 4 years[196]. Trees are, however, short-lived - the life of a commercial plantation is about 8 years[196]. This species does not hybridize easily with other members of the genus[196]. Plants have a shallow spreading root system and resent surface hoeing, they are best given a good mulch[196]. Plants usually ripe their fruit over a period of time, though pruning methods can be used to produce a peak time of fruiting[196]. The leaves have a pungent smell[196]. Plants are subject to attacks by red spider mites.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 4 weeks at 15°c[K], within 2 weeks at 25°c[164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of greenwood in a frame[200].

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Conservatory Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Need Assistance

Susan Snyder Sun May 20 00:55:28 2001

A friend has given me two Tomato Trees - and I need advice on what they are and how to go about getting them to produce fruit. The ad which he purchased them from claims they are a hybrid from New Zealand. I've had them one year...they are developing small trunks with large leaves (which are falling off at the bottom.) The advertisement says they should be pruned and I have no idea how to do this. They are inside now, in containers and about 2 feet high. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Cyphomandra betacea

Mon Feb 27 2006

do they take heat? do they really taste like tomatoes?

Cyphomandra betacea

tetty chaidamsari Tue Aug 15 2006

where can I found the cyphomandra betacea tree in Indonesia

Cyphomandra betacea

Muhammad Ali Sat Sep 1 2007

sir i m n need of literature in the form of publications of tree tomato. my job is to micropropagate tree tomato.

Cyphomandra betacea

steve jackson Wed Sep 19 2007

I have recently had to visit a job i was doing east of Canterbury (in the UK close to Sturry) where on the first occasion, whilst driving I noticed something strange growing in the sparce hedgerow. purpleish young and herbacous. I couldnt stop as the road wouldnt allow it but I had to revisit this job 3 occasions more through the growing season and everytime i looked for this plant and noticed lovely purple flowers in late spring, green fruits in summer and recently these have turned orange. The very first time i saw this plant I new it must be related to the nightshade, tomato, Solanum but none of my wild flower books had anything about it. I gave myself a little extra time and parked some 500 yards away in a farm shop and walked to collect some fruit and ultimatley seeds. I can only imagine that its quite an unusual find in Kent. I hope to use the seeds to grow next spring, well worth it as it would look great with other tropical looking plants. interesting to learn that it fruits in its second year so must of survived a mild winter allready.

Cyphomandra betacea

Irma L.H. Sinaga Fri Aug 1 2008

that's my research and i love it. tree tomato in Bataknesee is "tiung". It's so delicious so delicious fruit

Cyphomandra betacea

Gaian Sun Aug 31 2008

I started a Cyphomandra Betaceae from seed in March indoors in a pot. By June (3 months later) it was covered in flowers which I 'tickled' to pollinate. Fruits are still forming (August), and there are loads of them (at least 100) on a plant that is about 3ft high, very leggy and in a fairly small pot. I popped it outside hoping for a decent summer (UK 2008) and it got badly bent by the high winds this year, but even the shoots that got bent double are still developing the fruits nicely. Whether we ever get enough of a summer to actually ripen them is another matter!

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