THE CYPHOMANDRA OR TKEE TOMATO. 24! 



in which melons were growing at the same time. The 

 flowers do not need pollinating. The fruits set of them- 

 selves, and are more or less seedless. 



CYPHOMANDRA. 



In 1886 Peter Henderson & Co. advertised seeds of 

 the Tree Tomato of Jamaica. I procured seeds and 

 grew the plants. The results of the effort, as published 

 at the time,* were as follows: "The so-called Tree To- 

 mato of Jamaica was reared from seeds last year, and 

 two plants were carried over winter in the greenhouse. 

 They were potted out in the spring. They grew well, 

 attaining a height of 8 feet. They blossomed profusely 

 during the fall, but did not set fruit. \Ve shall carry 

 them over another year. This curious plant is a native 

 of tropical America, a member of the Solanum family, 

 though not a tomato. It is Cyphomandra betacea. It 

 has been widely distributed through the tropics of late 

 years. The fruit more nearly resembles an eggplant 

 fruit than a tomato. We have also grown it this year 

 from seeds from Peru, which were sent us as the 

 'Chileno Tomato.' Of course the plant is valueless 

 in this climate." 



I lost the plant until three years ago, when I secured 

 seed again from southern California, and as this book 

 goes to the printer two tree-like plants growing together, 

 7 feet high, and with a spread of 4 feet, bear their crop 

 of 46 curious, egg-like fruits (shown two-thirds natural 

 size in Fig. 88, page 242). The plants are three years 

 old, and were once cut back to stumps. The plants 

 and we had others bloomed profusely the second 

 year from seed, but no amount of hand pollination 

 would make the flowers set fruit. The present crop was 

 not hand-pollinated, but the fruits are full of seeds. 



Bulletin 31, Michigan Agric. College, 10 (1887). 



