Biodiversity
An introduction to biodiversity.
A simple explanation of what biodiversity is, how we make sense of it and its importance to us. Plus an introduction to the biodiversity of potatoes and tomatoes.
Solanum habrochaites
Quick description
A wild tomato with green stripy fruit from high up in the Andes, resistant to many pathogens.
Appearance
This species looks different to the commercial tomato and research on DNA sequences suggests that it evolved much earlier. It is a large shrub or a vine, growing up to 6 metres in length. Leaves are only divided once. Individual parts of leaves are up to 20 centimetres long and pointed at the ends, with toothed edges. There are three different types of hairs, some with glands and some without glands, and some plants have almost no hairs at all. The petals are quite short and golden yellow. The flowers have very long and thin tail-like structures at the tips of their anthers, which are useful for recognition. The fruits are pale green with dark green stripes. Seeds are dark brown and silky, with narrow wings at the sides.
Taste / cooking
Not eaten. The glands on the tips of the hairs produce a strong characteristic smell.
Specific nutritional benefits
Unknown
Habitat / growing
It grows high up in the Andes mountain range of Ecuador and Peru, further north than most other wild tomatoes. It can also grow near the sea but these plants are smaller in size.
Stress tolerance
Drought tolerance
Disease/pest resistance
It is resistant to the grey mould (Botrytis cinerea), the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) and the tomato yellow leaf curl virus. The DNA from this wild tomato has been used by scientists to understand how insect resistance works in tomatoes, as well as what determines the amount of fruit.
