Practical
Plants

Lycopersicon peruvianum

an annual member of the Lycopersicon genus in the family Solanaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects, Self

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

All green parts of the plant are poisonous[6].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked[2]. The fruit is green and hairy but has a sweet tomato-like flavour[1]. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter[5].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Western S. America
Habitat
Western slopes of the Andes below 2900 metres[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Germination is usually quick and good. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich compost as soon as the first true leaf appears and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Seed can also be sown in situ under a cloche at the end of April, though in a cool summer the results may be disappointing. The seedcoat may carry tomato mosaic virus. However, by sowing the seed 15mm deep the seedcoat will remain below the soil surface when the seed germinates and the disease will be inactivated[4].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a rich well-drained soil in a sunny position. Plants are not frost-hardy. They can be grown outdoors in Britain as a spring-sown annual started off under glass in the spring. In cool wet summers the total yields are likely to be low[K]. This species does not hybridize with L. esculentum[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.

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  4. RHS. The Garden. Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society 1988-00-00

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  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  6. Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984-00-00 ISBN 0112425291

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