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Solanum lycopersicum
  • Tomato

a vegetable vine of the Solanum genus in the family Solanaceae.

Solanum lycopersicum fruit 0001.jpg
Niche
  • Shrub
    Shrub
    There are no details available for this niche.
  • Herbaceous
    Herbaceous
    There are no details available for this niche.
  • Climber
    Climber
    There are no details available for this niche.
Functions
  • None
    None
    There are no functions defined for this plant. Do you know of some? Click the edit button to add them!
Light
  • Full sun
    Full sun
    The amount of sun exposure that a plant prefers in ideal conditions.
    Key
  • no shade
    No shade
    The amount of shade a plant will tolerate without adverse health affects.
    Key
Water
  • Water Requirementsmoderate
    Moderate
    The amount of water a plant needs for healthy growth, relative to other plants.
    Key
Soil
  • acid, neutral, alkaline
    Acid to Alkaline
    The PH range (acidity or alkilinity) of the growth medium ideal for healthy nutrient absorbtion.
    Key
  • Sandy to Clay
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • 9
    Zone 9
    The USDA Hardiness scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the minimum temperature a plant can survive.
    Key
    0< -53.9ºC< -65ºF
    1-51.1ºC-60ºF
    2-45.6ºC-50F
    3-40ºC-40ºF
    4-34.4ºC-30ºF
    5-28.9ºC-20ºF
    6-23.3ºC-10ºF
    7-17.8ºC0ºF
    8-12.2C10ºF
    9-6.7ºC20ºF
    10-1.1ºC30ºF
    114.4ºC40ºF
    12> 10ºC> 5ºF
  • ?
    Unknown
    The AHS Heat scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the number of days per year a plant requires a temperature exceeding 30ºC (86ºF).
    Key
    11
    21 - 7
    38 - 14
    415 - 30
    531 - 45
    646 - 60
    761 - 90
    891 - 120
    9121 - 150
    10151 - 180
    11181 - 210
    12181 - 210
Solanum lycopersicum has 0 edible uses listed
Solanum lycopersicum has 0 material uses listed
Solanum lycopersicum has 0 medicinal uses listed

Uses

Toxic parts

Leaves, Stems

Tomatine low toxicity
The leaves and stems of S. lycopersicum contain glycoalkoloids which are poisonous when eaten in large quantities[16].
The given value was not understood.

Edible uses

Fruit

Fresh, Cooked, Drink

Seed

Oil

Material uses

Fruit

Cosmetic

Leaves

Insecticide

Whole

Repellent

Seed

Oil

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

Fruit

Cardiac
Skin

Plant

Homeopathy

Roots

Odontalgic

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Shrub, Herbaceous or Climber

Ecological Functions

Nothing listed.

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

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[17].

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Solanum lycopersicum. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.



Cultivation

Requires a rich well-drained soil in a warm sunny position.

The tomato is widely grown throughout the world for its edible fruit. There are many named varieties and over the considerable period of cultivation by humans two distinct types have emerged[5]. These are:- 

    L. esculentum cerasiforme (Dunal.)A.Gray. This is the cherry tomato. Closer to the original species, it produces a large crop of small fruits with a delicious sweetness.
    L. esculentum esculentum. This is the more commonly grown tomato with much larger fruits. There are a very large number of cultivars with a wide variety of colours and fruit shapes and sizes.

Tomato plants are not frost-tolerant and generally need to be started off in a greenhouse in the spring if they are to succeed outdoors in Britain. They also need a hot sunny summer if they are to fruit well. Some varieties have been developed that can be successfully grown outdoors during the summer in temperate climates such as Britain, although good summers are still required in order to get reasonable yields. Varieties have been developed in Eastern Europe that can flower and set fruit at 7°c (this is compared with a temperature requirement of 11 - 13°c in earlier varieties). These varieties could provide a basis for the commercial outdoor cultivation of tomatoes in Britain[18]. Tomatoes grow well with asparagus, parsley, brassicas and stinging nettles[12][19]. They are also a good companion for gooseberries, helping to keep them free of insect pests[10]. They dislike growing near fennel, kohl-rabi, potatoes[12][13] and brassicas[13] (this is not a typing error, merely a difference of opinion between different books).

This species hybridizes with L. pimpinellifolium (which is called L. esculentum pimpinellifolium by some botanists) but it does not hybridize with L. peruvianum[20].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Solanum lycopersicum. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Solanum lycopersicum.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Solanum lycopersicum
Genus
Solanum
Family
Solanaceae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Medicinal uses
[10][15][14][9]
Material uses & Functions
[9][12][13][6][7][8][10]
Botanic
[21]
Propagation
Cultivation
Environment
Cultivation
Uses
Edible uses
None listed.
Material uses
None listed.
Medicinal uses
None listed.
Functions & Nature
Functions
Provides forage for
Provides shelter for
Environment
Hardiness Zone
9
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil Water Retention
well drained
Environmental Tolerances
    Ecosystems
    Native Climate Zones
    None listed.
    Adapted Climate Zones
    None listed.
    Native Geographical Range
    None listed.
    Native Environment
    None listed.
    Ecosystem Niche
    Shrub, Herbaceous, Climber
    Root Zone Tendancy
    shallow
    Life
    Deciduous or Evergreen
    ?
    Herbaceous or Woody
    ?
    Life Cycle
    annual
    Growth Rate
    ?
    Mature Size
    2 x 0.4
    Fertility
    self fertile
    Pollinators
    ?
    Flower Colour
    ?
    Flower Type
    hermaphrodite

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    References

    1. ? 1.01.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (32202/01/01)
    2. ? 2.02.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (32202/01/01)
    3. ? 3.03.1 Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 (32202/01/01)
    4. ? 4.04.1 Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. (32202/01/01)
    5. ? 5.05.15.25.35.4 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (32202/01/01)
    6. ? 6.06.16.26.3 Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (32202/01/01)
    7. ? 7.07.17.27.3 Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable ISBN 0094579202 (32202/01/01)
    8. ? 8.08.18.28.3 Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press (32202/01/01)
    9. ? 9.09.19.29.39.49.59.6 Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald ISBN 0-356-10541-5 (32202/01/01)
    10. ? 10.010.110.210.310.4 Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-304-34324-2 (32202/01/01)
    11. ? Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named PFAF
    12. ? 12.012.112.212.3 Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins (32202/01/01)
    13. ? 13.013.113.213.3 Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. ISBN 0-88266-064-0 (32202/01/01)
    14. ? 14.014.1 Radio 4 AM - (32202/01/01)
    15. ? 15.015.1 Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-917256-20-4 (32202/01/01)
    16. ? [Lycopersicon esculentum] Poisonous Plants of North Carolina (2012/08/09)
    17. ? RHS. The Garden. Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society (32202/01/01)
    18. ? Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading ISBN 0704909820 (32202/01/01)
    19. ? Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd ISBN 0-584-10141-4 (32202/01/01)
    20. ? Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. ()
    21. ? Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (32202/01/01)

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    Facts about "Solanum lycopersicum"RDF feed
    Article is incompleteYes +
    Article requires citationsNo +
    Article requires cleanupNo +
    Belongs to familySolanaceae +
    Belongs to genusSolanum +
    Has common nameTomato +
    Has drought toleranceIntolerant +
    Has edible partFruit + and Seeds +
    Has edible useFresh +, Cooked +, Drink + and Oil +
    Has fertility typeSelf fertile +
    Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
    Has hardiness zone9 +
    Has imageSolanum lycopersicum fruit 0001.jpg +
    Has lifecycle typeAnnual +
    Has material partFruit +, Leaves +, Whole + and Seeds +
    Has material useCosmetic +, Insecticide +, Repellent + and Oil +
    Has mature height2 +
    Has mature width0.4 +
    Has medicinal partFruit +, Plant + and Roots +
    Has medicinal useCardiac +, Homeopathy +, Odontalgic + and Skin +
    Has primary imageSolanum lycopersicum fruit 0001.jpg +
    Has root zoneShallow +
    Has search namesolanum lycopersicum + and x +
    Has seed requiring scarificationNo +
    Has seed requiring stratificationNo +
    Has shade toleranceNo shade +
    Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
    Has soil teclayture preferenceClay +
    Has soil teloamyture preferenceLoamy +
    Has soil tesandyture preferenceSandy +
    Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
    Has sun preferenceFull sun +
    Has taxonomy nameSolanum lycopersicum +
    Has water requirementsmoderate +
    Inhabits ecosystem nicheShrub +, Herbaceous + and Climber +
    Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
    Tolerates air pollutionNo +
    Tolerates maritime exposureNo +
    Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
    Tolerates windNo +