Currant Tomato
Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium

Family: Solanaceae

What it is like

Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). 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.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Original habitat is obscure, probably Western S. America as a cultivated form of L. cerasiforme.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use. Sweet and delicious, it makes an excellent dessert fruit and is also used in savoury dishes as a vegetable. 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. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. 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.

Oil: Oil

Medicine

Rating: 2

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. A decoction of the root is ingested in the treatment of toothache. 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. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and severe headaches.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Homeopathy: A plant used in homeopathic treatments.

Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Other

Rating:

The strong aroma of this plant is said to repel insects from nearby plants. A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. Used in making soap. See the notes above regarding utilization.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.

How it is grown

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. A form of tomato with a small but delicious tasting fruit, it is often treated as a separate species. There are some named varieties.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 8-11

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

All green parts of the plant are poisonous.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

L. pimpinellifolium. (L.)Mill. L. racemigerum.