The Tree-Tomato and the Aubergine. 303 



Mori, "apples of the Moors/' or of Morocco, from which 

 country the tomato was originally thought to have been 

 received. 



The TREE-TOMATO (Cyphomandra betacea), also South 

 American, is a very much larger plant, resembling in 

 habit and in its great leaves, a Brugmansia. The flowers, 

 as in the Lycopersicum, are star-shaped, but of a soft 

 pink-lilac colour. They come in clusters of six or seven, 

 and are followed by large and handsome ovoid berries, 

 usually orange-colour, sometimes red, and even vermilion. 

 It is easily raised from seed, and after about two years old 

 bears fruit abundantly, even till winter, the harvest thus 

 coming in most usefully at a season of the year when the 

 supply of ordinary tomatos slackens. Being more tender 

 than the Lycopersicum, it requires to be treated altogether 

 as an indoor plant. In Jamaica, upon the mountains, 

 it flourishes where the mean annual temperature ranges 

 from 63 to 72. Supplies of this fruit come occasionally 

 from the Azores to Covent Garden. It ripens in the 

 Great Temperate House at Kew. 



The AUBERGINE (Solatium Melongena) in its common 

 form, the " egg-plant," is well known to all who care for 

 pretty and engaging garden curiosities. In autumn it is 

 hung all over with white berries just like breakfast-eggs, 

 though rather smaller, and these, when perfectly ripe, are 

 excellent for cooking, either as an ingredient of soups 

 and stews, or independently, then cut into thin slices and 

 fried. Many fine varieties have been raised upon the 

 Continent, where aubergines are greatly esteemed, the 



