Lycopersicon peruvianum - (L.)Mill.
(L.)Mill.
gbif· cc-by-nc
Desert Botanical Garden Herbarium (DES-)
gbif· cc-by-nc
Field Museum of Natural History
gbif· cc-by-nc
Field Museum of Natural History
Description
Lycopersicon peruvianum is a ANNUAL. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is green and hairy but has a sweet tomato-like flavour. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter.
Known Hazards
All green parts of the plant are poisonous.
Distribution
Western S. America
Where It Grows
SOUTHERN AMERICA: Peru (Ancash, Arequipa, Ica, La Libertad, Lima, Moquegua, Tacna), Chile (Tarapacá)
Cultivation
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. This species does not hybridize with L. esculentum.
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.
