Currant Tomato

Solanum pimpinellifolium

Physical Characteristics

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.

Distribution

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

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Oil Seed Edible Uses: Oil Fruit - raw, cooked or dried for later use[1 , 105 , 183 ]. Sweet and delicious, it makes an excellent dessert fruit and is also used in savoury dishes as a vegetable[K ]. 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[K ]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[46 , 61 ]. 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 Uses

Antirheumatic Odontalgic 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[201 ]. A decoction of the root is ingested in the treatment of toothache[218 ]. 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[246 ]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[7 ]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism and severe headaches[7 ].

Known Hazards

All green parts of the plant are poisonous[19 , 76 ]. 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[K ].