Quote:
Originally Posted by DanishGardener
Sounds like a very interesting project 
I have seeds for L. chilense, which I am planning to grow next year as a novelty.
Where did you get seeds for L. cheesmanii? I have been looking for the real deal for some time now,
but it seems to me that what most vendors sell is not L. cheesmanii. Most vendors shows a picture of
a orange/yellow (sometimes red) tomato with a pointed end. And as far as I know the real
cheesmanii is completely round, smaller and more hairy and "wild looking" (like the ones Keith Mueller is showing pictures of on his website) |
Here is an update to you DanishGardener that may explain why you are seeing reds and different L. cheesmanii being offered.
Fig. Leaves and fruits of Lycopersicon cheesmanii ‘short’ (a), L. cheesmanii ‘long’ (b), L. cheesmanii f. minor (c), L. esculentum ‘Gal cer’ (d), and L. esculentum var. cerasiforme (e). Scales in centimeters. Note that scales are not represented at the same magnification factor
The main characteristics and differences between these wild forms are the following:
L. cheesmanii ‘short’ (Fig. 2a)—This type form was found only as coastal populations on cliffs and in open, undisturbed areas. Germination is slow, and in many cases, the seed testa must be excised to allow the radicle to emerge. The plants have pale green foliage and short internodes (2–4 cm), characteristics that persist even in good soil and uniform conditions. Leaves are pinnately compound with first- and second- order pinnate subdivisions. Leaves and stems are very brittle. Under our greenhouse conditions (40° N, Valencia, Spain), they do not flower from mid-November to mid-February. However, it is not known if this is due to the fact that this form requires a light regime typical of its region of origin (12 h light : 12 h dark) or that it flowers better in bright conditions of Spain's spring/summer. Ripe fruit color is orange-red.
L. cheesmanii ‘long’ (Fig. 2b)—This is usually found inland. Its foliage is darker than that of L. cheesmanii ‘short’ and has longer internodes (5–8 cm), similar to those of the mainland Eulycopersicon species. It germinates rapidly. Leaflets have small lobes. Leaves and stems are not particularly brittle. In our greenhouse conditions, it has flowering requirements similar to L. cheesmanii ‘short.’ Ripe fruit color varies from pale straw-yellow to dull orange-yellow.
L. cheesmanii f. minor (Fig. 2c)—Like L. cheesmanii ‘short,’ it is usually found in undisturbed coastal areas, has strong seed dormancy, has foliage that is pale green, and its internodes are short (2–4 cm). However, the morphology of the plant is very distinctive: leaves are three- to four-pinnate, leaflets are deeply lobed, all parts of plant are excessively hairy, stems are thick, and leaves erect. Flowering requirements are similar to L. cheesmanii ‘short’ and L. cheesmanii ‘long.’ Ripe fruit color is similar to the ‘short’ form.
L. esculentum ‘Gal cer’ (Fig. 2d)—This truly red-fruited form has not been reported previously in the Galápagos (Rick, 1956 , 1963 , 1971 ; Rick and Bowman, 1961 ; Rick and Fobes, 1975 ). Morphologically, these plants are very similar to L. esculentum var. cerasiforme, but fruits are much smaller (always <15 mm). They are found inland, in areas of high soil humidity in highly disturbed areas (road and trail margins, works areas, dumps, gardens). Like domesticated L. esculentum and feral L. esculentum var. cerasiforme, they do not need long (or bright) days to flower. The ripe fruit is deep red and is attractive to the Galápagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus), which we observed carrying ripe fruits in their beaks.
Apart from these four wild forms, on the inhabited islands we also found cultivated (L. esculentum) and feral (L. esculentum var. cerasiforme) tomato. The feral tomato is found as a weed in vegetable gardens and trail margins. Galápagos accessions present the typical traits of this taxon (Fig. 2e).
There are important differences among L. cheesmanii, L. esculentum, and the wild continental species L. pimpinellifolium in the quantitative morphological traits measured in this work (Table 3). Internode length is much shorter in L. cheesmanii ‘short’ and L. cheesmanii f. minor than in the other taxa. Although there are not absolute differences in the size of the flower among the taxa, L. cheesmanii has a lower petal length to sepal length ratio than L. esculentum ‘Gal cer’ or L. pimpinellifolium (Table 3). Another remarkable feature of L. cheesmanii is that stigmas are only slightly exserted (always less than 0.4 mm), much less than stigmas of L. esculentum or L. pimpinellifolium (Table 3). There is also an important difference between L. cheesmanii and the other Eulycopersicon taxa in the flowering requirements. Although in their native environment and in other places at lower latitudes than Valencia, such as Davis, California (R. Chetelat, TGRC, personal communication), L. cheesmanii flowers all the year round if the conditions are favorable for plant growth and development, in the latitudes of Spain (40° N) they do not flower from mid-November to mid-February.