Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium
| Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium (common name: currant tomato)
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[1].
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[K].
A form of tomato with a small but delicious tasting fruit, it is often treated as a separate species[2]. There are some named varieties[3].
Range: Original habitat is obscure, probably Western S. America as a cultivated form of L. cerasiforme.
Habitat: Not known in a truly wild situation.
Edibility: Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[4][5][3]. Sweet and delicious, it makes an excellent dessert fruit and is also used in savoury dishes as a vegetable[K]. The fruit is rather small and fiddly, about 10 - 15mm in diameter, but it is produced in quite large bunches and is well worth the effort of picking[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[6][7]. The seed is small and it would be very fiddly to utilize. It is only viable to use the seed as a source of oil if large quantities of the plants are being grown for their fruits and the seed is not wanted.
Medicinal: The pulped fruit is an extremely beneficial skin-wash for people with oily skin. Sliced fruits are a quick and easy first aid treatment for burns, scalds and sunburn[8].
A decoction of the root is ingested in the treatment of toothache[9].
The skin of tomato fruits is a good source of lycopine, a substance that has been shown to protect people from heart attacks. It seems to be more effective when it is cooked and so can be obtained from food products such as tomato ketchup and tinned tomatoes[10].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[11]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and severe headaches[11].
Usage: The strong aroma of this plant is said to repel insects from nearby plants[11][12][13].
A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. Used in making soap[6][7][14]. See the notes above regarding utilization.
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All green parts of the plant are poisonous[15][16].
Also Known As: L. pimpinellifolium. (L.)Mill. L. racemigerum.
Links
References
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Garden Volume 113. Royal Horticultural Society, 1988.
- ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Radio 4. AM. 1997.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.