XIII.—TREE TOMATO. 
—— betacea, De Ser ota 
regions of Tropical America, is a large fide puoi shrub or small tree, 
often attaining a height of 8 to 12 feet. The fruit in form is more like 
that of the egg-plant or brinjal, but in colour and flavour it more nearly 
approaches the tomato. Like these two, however, it belongs to the 
natural order Solanaceae. 
It appears as Solanum betaceum in Cavanilles, Ic. n. 599, tab. 524, 
which gives a fairly good figure of both the plant and the fruit. 
> 
fruit 
reproduced in the Gardener’s Cirio, Third "Seriei es, Vol. t (1887), 
p. 383, with a description he) Mr. D. Morris.. Fuller notes are given by 
thesame writerin Gardeners Chronicle, N. S; Vol. XXI. (April 19, 1884), 
p- 510. -The 7, ene” from the Gardener’s Chronicle, by kind l per- 
mission of Dr. Masters, F.R.S., we arəable to give on the opposite page. 
The fruit in this instance is much too pointed and gives the appearance 
of not being fully ripe. A much better illustration of the fruit is given 
in Revue Horticole for 1881, p. 470, which is intended to represent two 
varieties obtained from seed of the plant figured in 1880. 
The leaves are large (sometimes a foot long), broadly cordate, and 
softly ent aS generally confined. to the termination of the branches. 
The fragrant ers appear as sub-axillary cymes of a Ran fleshy 
colour, with bright yellow stamens, followed by an obconical or ovate 
ruit, which at first of a greenish or purplish tint gradually assumes a 
warm reddish colour as it approaches maturity. The bilocular fruit is 
of firm texture, about 2 to 2} inches long, and about 2 inches in a 
The pericarp is about } inch in thicknes s, of a pale orange colou 
n the mainland of ‘Central America it is known the To on de 
la Paz, in Jamaica as the “ Tree Tomato,” and sometimes, on account of 
its supposed beneficial action on the liver, ‘Vegetable 1 Mercury.” Plants 
are easily raised from seed, and come i o bearing in about two years. 
he 
winter nonio November to March, when ordinary tomatoes are not so 
easily obtaine 
If the fruit is allowed to fully ripen on the trees it may be ea raw, 
and it has somewhat the flavour of gooseberry. If the skin is Beans 
and the fruit (without the seeds) stewed with sugar, it ease apricot, 
but with a slight sub-acid flavour, which is very refreshing. 
sri Miers (Hook, Journ. Botany, 1845, p. pen deseribes this plant 
er the name of Pionandra betacea, and me s that “this is 
« are ra a same fruit that 1 saw in the marke ts Of Ling; where it is 
“ commonly used for cooking i in lieu of the ordinary tomato, the flavour 
“ of which it resembles.’ 
Manchester. Tt does not flourish in the plains. Its oii of levaaun 
in Jamaica is from 2,000 feet to £,000 feet, with a range of tempera- 
ture from 72° to 63° Fahr. It is found at Madeira and the prerie 
and cultivated in the South of Europe. According to Dr. Mas 
the fruit is occasionally seen in Covent Garden Racket under p 
1845. 125.—12/87. Wt. 10082. 




