Currant Tomato
Solanum pimpinellifolium

Family: Solanaceae

What it is like

Currant Tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, is a wild tomato species native to Ecuador and Peru. There are annual. biennial, and perennial varieties. Other common names are German Raising Tomato and Tomatillo. The branches are slender and initially erect, becoming procumbent or decumbent. The fruits are small, red, globose and edible. It can be eaten raw, cooked, or dried for later use. The seeds yield edible oil which can also be used in making soap. The fruits have medicinal uses as well. It can be used as first aid treatment for burns, scalds, and sunburn. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatism and headaches. Root decoction is ingested to relieve toothache.

Solanum pimpinellifolium is a ANNUAL/BIENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are 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: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Andes, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Mexico, North America, Northeastern India, Peru, South America, USA.

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 red, globose 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

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

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.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

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

Other

Rating: 2

Agroforestry Uses: The strong aroma of this plant is said to repel insects from nearby plants. Other Uses 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.

Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.

How it is grown

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. Requires a rich well-drained soil in a sunny position. The plant has been introduced as a crop into the Galapagos, where it has shown a tendency to invade disturbed areas. It is of particular concern there due to possible hybridization with native Solanaceae. There are some named varieties.

Propagating it: Seed - sow in situ 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:

Habit: Annual/Biennial

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

All green parts of the plant are poisonous. Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most plants in the family Solanaceae also contain poisonous alkaloids. Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant.

The plant has been introduced as a crop into the Galapagos, where it has shown a tendency to invade disturbed areas. It is of particular concern there due to possible hybridization with native Solanaceae.

Its other names

Local names

Mantathur chin,

Synonyms

Lycopersicon esculentum pimpinellifolium (Jusl.) Mill. Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium (L.) Mill. Lyco