Tamarillo (Cyphomandra
betacea Sendt.)
The tree tomato,
Cyphomandra betacea Sendt. (C. hartwegi Sendt.; Solanum betaceum
Cav.) is the best-known of about 30 species of Cyphomandra (family
Solanaceae). Among its various regional names are: tomate, tomate
extranjero, tomate de arbol, tomate granadilla, granadilla, pix,
and caxlan pix (Guatemala); tomate de palo (Honduras); arvore do
tomate, tomate de arvore (Brazil); lima tomate, tomate de monte,
sima (Bolivia); pepino de arbol (Colombia); tomate dulce (Ecuador);
tomate cimarron (Costa Rica); and tomate francés (Venezuela, Brazil).
In 1970, or shortly before, the construed name "tamarillo" was adopted
in New Zealand and has become the standard commercial designation
for the fruit.
The plant is a small, half-woody, attractive, fast-growing, brittle
tree; shallow-rooted; reaching 10 to 18 ft (3-5.5 m) in height;
rarely as much as 25 ft (7.5 m). The leaves are muskily odorous,
evergreen, alternate, more or less heart-shaped at the base, ovate,
pointed at the apex, 4 to 13 1/2 in (10-35 cm) long and 1 1/2 to
4 3/4 in (4-12 cm) broad, thin, softly hairy, with conspicuous coarse
veins. Borne in small, loose clusters near the branch tips, the
fragrant flowers, 1/2 to 3/4 in (1.25-2 cm) wide, have 5 pale-pink
or lavender, pointed lobes, 5 prominent yellow stamens, and green-purple
calyx. The long-stalked, pendent fruit, borne singly, or in clusters
of 3 to 12, is smooth, egg-shaped but pointed at both ends and capped
with the persistent conical calyx. In size it ranges from 2 to 4
in (5-10 cm) long and l 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) in width. Skin color
may be solid deep-purple, blood-red, orange or yellow, or red-and-yellow,
and may have faint dark, longitudinal stripes. Flesh color varies
accordingly from orange-red or orange to yellow or cream-yellow.
While the skin is somewhat tough and unpleasant in flavor, the outer
layer of flesh is slightly firm, succulent and bland, and the pulp
surrounding the seeds in the two lengthwise compartments is soft,
juicy, subacid to sweet; it is black in dark-purple and red fruits,
yellow in yellow and orange fruits. The seeds are thin, nearly flat,
circular, larger and harder than those of the true tomato and distinctly
bitter. The fruit has a slightly resinous aroma and the flavor suggests
a mild or underripe tomato with a faintly resinous aftertaste.
Peeled, diced fruits, with diced onion, breadcrumbs, butter and
appropriate seasonings are employed as stuffing for roast lamb.
Tree tomato slices, alone, or combined with sliced apple, are cooked
in pies. They may be packed in preserving jars with water or sugar
sirup and cooked for 55 minutes, or may be put into plastic containers
with a 50% sirup and quick-frozen for future use in pies or puddings.
The peeled fruits can be pureed in a blender or by cooking, strained
to remove the seeds and then packed in plastic containers and frozen.
Lemon juice may be added to the puree' to enhance flavor. The peeled,
stewed fruits are combined with gelatin, milk, sugar and lemon juice
to make a dessert which is then garnished with fresh tree tomato
slices. Peeled, sliced and seeded tree tomatoes, with lemon rind,
lemon juice and sugar, are cooked to a jam; or, with onions and
apples, are made into chutney. Chutney is prepared commercially
in a factory in Auckland, New Zealand. Being high in pectin, the
fruit is easily made into jelly but the fruit oxidizes and discolors
without special treatment during processing. Whole, peeled fruits,
with sugar, are cooked to a sauce for use on ice cream. The peeled
fruits may be pickled whole, or may be substituted for tomatoes
in a hot chili sauce.
Although its place
of origin is not certain, the tree tomato is generally believed
to be native to the Andes of Peru and probably also Chile, Ecuador
and Bolivia where it is extensively grown, as it is also in Argentina,
Brazil and Colombia. It is cultivated and naturalized in Venezuela
and grown in the highlands of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto
Rico and Haiti.
It must have been carried at an early date to East Africa, Asia
and the East Indies, as it is well established in the Nilgiri heights
and the hills of Assam in southern India, and in the mountains of
Malaya, and was popular in Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies before
1903. It has been grown in Queensland, Australia, in home gardens,
for many years and is a practical crop in the highlands of the Australian
part of New Guinea.
D. Hay & Sons, nurserymen, introduced the tree tomato into New
Zealand in 1891 and commercial growing on a small scale began about
1920. Shortages of tropical fruits in World War II justified an
increased level of production. A promotional campaign was launched
in 1961; window banners and 100,000 recipe leaflets were distributed.
This small industry prospered until 1967 when annual production
reached a peak of 2,000 tons. There was a heavy loss of trees at
Kerikeri in 1968. Replanting took place there and at the Bay of
Plenty and cultivation of this crop continues to expand. In 1970,
there were 209,110 trees on 476 acres (130 ha) in New Zealand. Shipment
of the fresh fruits to Australia has not been very successful and
the surplus crop is being delivered to processors for the making
of preserves.
The leaves are
muskily odorous, evergreen, alternate, more or less heart-shaped
at the base, ovate, pointed at the apex, 4 to 13 1/2 in (10-35 cm)
long and 1 1/2 to 4 3/4 in (4-12 cm) broad, thin, softly hairy,
with conspicuous coarse veins.
Borne in small,
loose clusters near the branch tips, the fragrant flowers, 1/2 to
3/4 in (1.25-2 cm) wide, have 5 pale-pink or lavender, pointed lobes,
5 prominent yellow stamens, and green-purple calyx.
The long-stalked,
pendent fruit, borne singly, or in clusters of 3 to 12, is smooth,
egg-shaped but pointed at both ends and capped with the persistent
conical calyx. In size it ranges from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) long and
l 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) in width. Skin color may be solid deep-purple,
blood-red, orange or yellow, or red-and-yellow, and may have faint
dark, longitudinal stripes. Flesh color varies accordingly from
orange-red or orange to yellow or cream-yellow. While the skin is
somewhat tough and unpleasant in flavor, the outer layer of flesh
is slightly firm, succulent and bland, and the pulp surrounding
the seeds in the two lengthwise compartments is soft, juicy, subacid
to sweet; it is black in dark-purple and red fruits, yellow in yellow
and orange fruits.The fruit has a slightly resinous aroma and the
flavor suggests a mild or underripe tomato with a faintly resinous
aftertaste.
Cyphomandra betacea
Sendt.
Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Species: tomate, tomate extranjero, tomate de arbol, tomate granadilla,
granadilla, pix, and caxlan pix (Guatemala); tomate de palo (Honduras);
arvore do tomate, tomate de arvore (Brazil); lima tomate, tomate
de monte, sima (Bolivia); pepino de arbol (Colombia); tomate dulce
(Ecuador); tomate cimarron (Costa Rica); and tomate francés (Venezuela,
Brazil).
Ecuadorian Orange
Fruit is medium orange in color, the size of a large hen's egg.
Pulp light orange, creamy in texture, less acid than the Ruby Red.
Excellent for eating out of hand and also suited for culinary purposes.
Goldmine
A superior cultivar originating in New Zealand and recently introduced.
Very large golden-yellow fruit with golden, highly flavored flesh,
less bland than Solid Gold, but not acidic. Has superb earing qualities.
Inca Gold
A yellow-fruited cultivar said to be less acid than the red types.
When cooked the fruit is said to resemble the apricot in flavor.
Oratia Red
A large fruited red cultivar, oval to rounded in shape, with a sharp
acid flavor. Good quality for eating out of hand and excellent for
jams and preserves.
Rothamer
Unusual large fruit, over 3 ounces. Skin bright red. Flesh golden-yellow,
flavor sweet and exotic. Seeds dark red. Ripen from December to
April. Delicious eaten out of hand. Vigorous and heavy bearing plant.
Originated in San Rafael, Calif.
Ruby Red
Large, brilliant red fruit. Pulp dark red, tart and flavorful. Fair
for eating out of hand, but very good for culinary use. If allowed
to ripen for one to three weeks after picking, they will become
less acid. The standard cultivar grown for export in New Zealand.
Solid Gold
Large, oval shaped fruit. Skin golden-orange in color. Pulp soft,
less acidic in flavor than Oratia Red. Very good for eating out
of hand, with acceptable culinary qualities.
Yellow
Fruits the size and shape of a large plum. Skin yellowish orange.
Flesh yellow, with a milder flavor than the red types. The yellow
form is the oldest in cultivation in New Zealand.
Ripe tree tomatoes
may be merely cut in half lengthwise, sprinkled with sugar and served
for eating by scooping out the flesh and pulp. Or the halves may
be seasoned and grilled or baked for 15 minutes for service as a
vegetable. The fruit should not be cut on a wooden or other permeable
surface, as the juice will make an indelible stain. For other purposes,
the skin must be removed and this is easily done by pouring boiling
water over the fruit and letting it stand for 4 minutes, then peeling
is begun at the stem end. The peeled fruit can then be sliced and
the slices added to stews or soups, or served with a sprinkling
of sugar and perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Seasoned
with salt and pepper, the slices can serve as sandwich-filling or
may be used in salads. Chopped slices are blended with cream cheese
and used as sandwich spread.
The tree tomato
is not tropical but subtropical. It flourishes between 5,000 and
10,000 ft (1,525-3,050 m) in Ecuador; between 1,000 and 3,000 ft
(305-915 m) in Puerto Rico; 1,000 to 7,500 ft (305-2,288 m) in India.
In Haiti it grows and fruits to perfection at 6,000 ft (1,830 m).
In cooler climates, it succeeds at lower elevations. It does best
where the temperature remains above 50º F (10º C). Frost at 28º
F (-2.2º C) kills the small branches and foliage of mature trees
but not the largest branches and main stem. The tree will recover
if such frosts are not prolonged or frequent. However, seedlings
and cuttings are readily killed by frost during their first year.
Protection from wind is necessary as the tree is shallow-rooted
and easily blown over. It is also brittle and its branches are easily
broken by gusts, especially when laden with fruit. It is suggested
that windbreaks be established for each 1/2 acre (1/5 ha) before
setting out the plantation in order to protect the young plants.
Hedges of Albizia lophantha Benth. and of Hakea saligna R. Br.,
kept trimmed and narrow, are popular in the North Auckland area
of New Zealand.
The tamarillo
is small enough and attractive enough to fit into many parts of
the home landscape as long as the site is well-drained. They grow
best in full sun except in hot, dry situations, where partial shade
is better. They need protection from strong winds.
The tree tomato
cannot tolerate tightly compacted soil with low oxygen content.
It requires fertile, light soil. It grows well on deep lateritic
soil in Haiti. Perfect drainage is necessary. Water standing for
even a few days may kill the tree.
Seeds or cuttings
may be used for propagation. Seeds produce a high-branched, erect
tree, ideal for sheltered locations. Cuttings develop into a shorter,
bushy plant with low-lying branches, suitable for exposed, windy
sites. The tree does not always come true from seed, but is most
likely to if one is careful to take seed from red fruits with black
seed pulp or yellow fruits with yellow seed pulp.
In Brazil, seeds for planting are first washed, dried in the shade,
and then placed in a freezer for 24 hours to accelerate germination.
They are then planted in boxes of rich soil–12 in (30 cm) between
plants and 24 in (60 cm) between rows–and virtually 100% will germinate
in 4 to 6 days.
The seedlings
are set out in the field when 2 to 2 3/4 in (5-7 cm) high, spaced
32 in (80 cm) apart in rows 6 1/2 ft (2 m) apart. In New Zealand,
the trees are set 8 to 10 ft (2.5-3 m) apart in paired rows 8 ft
(2.5 m) apart with 14 ft (4.25 m) between each pair. If the soil
is very rich, 9 ft (2.75 m) is allowed between the rows and 16 ft
(5 m) between the pairs. Closer planting is recommended in windy,
unprotected locations–5 to 6 ft (1.5-1.8 m) between the plants and
8 to 10 ft (2.5-3 m) between the rows, and the trees may be staked
to prevent swaying and disturbing the roots. In India, the trees
are set out in pits 4 to 5 ft (1.2-1.5 m) apart.
Cuttings should be of 1- to 2-year-old wood 3/8 to 1 in (10-25 mm)
thick and 18 to 30 in (45-75 cm) long; the leaves are removed and
the base cut square below a node. They can be planted directly in
the field and, while precocious, should not be permitted to fruit
in the first year.
Because of the shallow root system, deep cultivation is not possible,
but light cultivation is desirable to eliminate weeds until there
is sufficient vegetative growth to shade them out
Although tamarillos
can tolerate a few degrees of frost, they do best (and look their
best) under frost-free conditions. In areas where frost may be a
problem, providing them with some overhead protection or planting
them next to a wall or a building may be sufficient. The smallish
plants are also fairly easy to cover during cold snaps by placing
carpeting, plastic sheeting, etc. over a frame around them. Potted
specimens can be moved to a frost-secure area.
The tree tomato
cannot tolerate prolonged drought and must have an ample water supply
during extremely dry periods. A mulch is very beneficial in conserving
moisture at such times.
Recommended fertilizer
application is 0.5 to 2.2 lbs (0.25-1.0 kg) per tree of NPK 5:6:6,
half in early spring and half in midsummer. In the 5th or 6th year,
the grower is advised to give a special feeding of 2 parts superphosphate,
1 1/2 parts nitrate of soda, 1 part sulphite of potash, in late
winter or early spring, at the rate of 2 to 3 lbs (1-1.5 kg) per
plant–approximately 10 to 16 cwt per acre, or 100 kg per hectare.
Seedling trees
are pruned back the first year after planting to a height of 3 or
4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) to encourage branching. Annual pruning thereafter
is advisable to eliminate branches that have already fruited and
induce ample new shoots close to the main branches, inasmuch as
fruit is produced on new growth. Otherwise, the tree will develop
a broad top with fruits only on the outer fringe. And wide-spreading
branches are subject to wind damage. Pruning facilitates harvesting
and, if timed appropriately, can extend the total fruiting period.
Early spring pruning of some of the owners' trees brings about early
maturity; fall pruning of other trees delays fruit maturity to the
following fall.
The tree tomato
is generally regarded as fairly pest-resistant. A looper caterpillar
makes large holes in the leaves of young plants in the nursery but
causes little damage to trees in the field. Occasionally the plants
are attacked by the green aphis.
In South America and the Caribbean, the fruits are subject to attack
by fruit flies–Anastrepha sp. and Carpolonchaea pendula (syn. Silba
pendula). In Colombia, the tree tomato has been found to be the
preferred host of the tree tomato worm (Neoleucinodes sp.) which
infests also the tomato and the eggplant. The larvae feed on the
fruits and cause heavy losses. Rigorous spraying and sanitary measures
are required to reduce losses and means of biological control are
being sought.
The principal disease is powdery mildew (both Erysiphe sp. and Oidium
sp.), which may cause serious defoliation if not controlled. Minor
problems include Sclerotinia disease (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum),
the black lesions of which girdle stems and cause terminal wilting;
and Ascochyta disease (Ascochyta sp.) which is evidenced by small,
round, black, dead areas on leaves, especially mature leaves. Tree
tomato mosaic virus causes pale mottling on leaves and sometimes
on the fruits which has not been considered a serious disadvantage.
Another virus disorder, called "bootlace virus", distorts the leaf,
especially on young plants, reducing it to little more than the
midrib. Affected plants are pulled up and destroyed.
The tree tomato is noted for its resistance to tobacco mosaic virus,
though it is susceptible to cucumber mosaic virus and potato virus.
Die-back, of unknown origin, at times is lethal to the flowers,
fruit cluster, twigs and new shoots. A strain of Arabis mosaic virus
(which, in combination with two other unidentified viruses, causes
sunken necrotic rings on the fruit surface) was reported in two
plantations in the TePuke-Tauranga area of New Zealand in 1971,
together with the identification of its vector, the nematode Xiphinema
diversicaudatum.
Abnormality: In Haiti and New Zealand, small, hard, irregular, semi-transparent
"stones" occur in the flesh of tree tomatoes and must be strained
out in the process of jam-making. It is not known if these are similar
to the "two gritty lumps in the wall of the fruit (on opposite sides)"
mentioned by E.J.H. Corner as observed in Malaya. Samples of the
stones were examined at the Division of Plant Industry, Florida
State Department of Agriculture, and were found to contain "large
amounts of sodium and calcium, probably as silicates, borates, aluminum-magnesium-oxygen
complexes, or aluminates or magnesium oxides. In addition, small
amounts of tin, copper, chromium, iron and phosphorus were found.
" It is well known that plants may accumulate minerals from mineral-rich
soils, but such stony accretions are found in the leaves, not in
the fruits. At Tela, Honduras, concretions occur in mangosteens,
often rendering the fruit inedible. The cause has not been determined.
Tamarillos are
ready to harvest when they develop the yellow or red color characteristic
of the particular variety. To harvest, simply pull the fruit from
the tree with a snapping motion, leaving the stem attached.
| 3.l. Post Harvesting
& Handling |
The fruit can
be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 weeks, but temperatures
below 38° F can cause the skin to discolor. Ripe tamarillos may
be merely cut in half lengthwise, sprinkled with sugar (and chilled
if you like) and served for eating by scooping out the flesh and
pulp. The fruit should not be cut on a wooden or other permeable
surface, as the juice will make an indelible stain. For other purposes,
the skin must be removed, which is easily done by pouring boiling
water over the fruit and letting it stand for 4 minutes before peeling.
|
