Hybrid of Hardy Tamarillo’s (Cyphomandra corymbiflora x fragrans) - part 2

On March 2019 I described my experiment with crossing of two half-hardy tamarillo species: Hardy Tamarillo Cyphomandra corymbiflora (female parent) and male Guava Tamarillo C. fragrans = C. diploconos (male parent). Now one of my hybrid plants is in flowers, so I am posting the new photos and description of an appearance of the hybrid (in table - comparison with the parents).

There is a table with comparison on various features of parents and the hybrid:

Features	hardy tamarillo (Cyphomandra corymbiflora)	hybrid F1 (Cyphomandra corymbiflora x fragrans)	guava tamarillo (Cyphomandra fragrans)
Leaf shiness	not shiny, mat	shiny	very shiny
Juvenile leaves lobation, size and color	entire, large, dark green	3(5) lobed (shallowly), very huge, dark green	5 lobed (deeply), medium-large, bright green
Mature leaf size and colour	large, dark green	medium-large, light-bright green	medium, light- bright green
Leaves thicknes	leathery, thin	leathery, rather thin	thick, waxy, rigid
Leaves hairless	glabrescent	almost glabrous	glabrous
Leaves longevity	deciduous	?	half-evergreen
Trunk base thickness	not thick, slender	not very thick, rather slender	very thick, conical
Time from sowing of seeds to blooming (in my experience)	about 1 year	about 0,5 year	8 years
Blooming time (at my northern 50° latitude)	from June	from July	from August
Size of plant when has first flowers	about 0,5-1m (= 2-3ft)	about 1m (= 3ft)	about 2m (= 7ft)
Type of inflorescence	dichotomous corymb-like	scorpioid raceme (rarely dichotomous)	scorpioid raceme (often dichotomous)
Young corolla color and shape	purple,stellate	purple, campanulate-stellate, irregulary opened	purple, funelliform
Older corolla color and shape	lavender-white, stellate	pale lavender, (camanulate-)stellate with a little twisted petals	yellowish, funelliform
Anthers color	yellow	yellow-purplish	purple
Stigma appearance	small, inconspicious	wide, capitate, large	wide, capitate, very large
Fruit appearance	pale green, dark green stipped, hairy	?	yellow, glabrescent
Fruit taste and skin texture	gentle aromatic, mild, tasty raw, skin soft	?	very aromatic, acidous, good for preserves, skin very strong
Frost hardiness	(-8)-(-10) C degree (= 14-17 F degree)	?	- 3 C degree (= 26 F degree)
Drought resistance	rather small	small	very resistant

..and the photos:

The most (about 7 for 10 ones in my experience) of seedlings were chlorotic, not deloped well and died fastly

But some seedlings was healthy and green

Young plants

The hybrid had lobed juvenile leaves (as male parent)

Juvenile leaves were usually 3-lobed and huge size

Hybrid plant started to blooming after a few months from seed (about half year old)

It started to blooming in July, so it blooms later than female parent (C. corymbiflora) and faster than male one (C. fragrans)

The stem was interesting maculated

.. and the trunk slender like on female parent, not swolen much

The flower in first day (purple petals)

... and in the second day (pale lavender)

I am trying to make backrosses with C. corymbiflora, because according prof. Lynn Bohs they are viable. In the future I am going to make pollination hybrid flower by pollen of other the hybrid (to obtain F2 hybrids) but now it is impossible because I have only on flowering hybrid plant (it is said to be self-incompatible as parents)

Wild Tomato species (Lycopersicon spp.) - part 2

I made a post about wild tomato species on November 2017. Now I am describing a few new species (+ some photos of previously described ones). 

The comparison of fruits of 2 native Galapagos Islands Tomato species - Lycopersicon galapagense (on left) and L. cheesmaniae (on right)

 SOLANUM SECT. LYCOPERSICON

“NEOLYCOPERSICON group”

Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon pennellii = Solanum pennellii) this is wild species native to Northern Peru (Piura) to northern Chile (Tarapacá) (dry rocky places and sandy areas at sea level to 3000 m = 10 000ft). It is very different species than others (with specific appearance) and it belongs to monotypic “Neolycopersicon group” – intermediate between tomatoes and potatoes. It is unknown in its fruits are edible or not, but they have rather not bad taste. This species is sometimes used to grafting giant (about 8m = 27ft tall) vine – Solanum ochranthum = Lycopersicon ochranthum (Solanum section Juglandifolia), to obtain small (2m = 7ft tall) plants with fruits in a second year of growing. 

The flowers of Lycopersicon pennellii are very characteristic...

...the same as leaves

The ripe fruits fall down and they break when they are overripe

This is very unusuall tomato species

“ERIOPERSICON” group”

Chilean Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon chilense = Solanum chilense) - (sub-)tropical perennial about 1m (=3ft) tall or even more, with silver-gray leaves and stems (often very fragile). Fruits are 1-1,5cm (= 0,4-0,6 inch) diameter, pale green, densely soft pubescent, tasty. I grew 2 accessions (one smaller and one robust – about 2m = 6ft tall). As the most wild tomato species it matures rather lately. Should be sown early.

Smaller form:

This species has characteristic long penducle

Whole plant is very very fragile

Immature fruits

Ripe fruits

Larger form of Lycopersicon chilense:

The characteristic very long penducle

The leaf

The fruits of this form were bicolored

Hairy Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon hirsutum var. typicum = L. agrimoniifolium, L. hirsutum var. agrimoniifolium, Solanum habrochaites) – I described this species before. I tried growing it again in last year but with almost no success. Only a few fruits have ripened. This is the latest wild tomato species. But it grows very large and creates huge, beauty, golden flowers, so it is worth of growing as late summer and fall ornamental in northern temperate areas.

This is very ornamental tomato

It starts to blooming in end of summer and flower to mid/late autumn

It is very very cold tolerant, but not frost resistant

Young fruits

The fruits of this botanical variety has flexible permament hairs

The fruits ripes very late (very poorly in my norther temperate area)

Hairy Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon hirsutum var. glabratum) is very different botanical variety.

This variety has fruits with fragile hairs, which can be easily removed

It flowers earlier and has something smaller flowers and glabrescent leaves

Peruvian Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon peruvianum = Solanum peruvianum) – in last season I grew other (the third) accession. The photos are bellow.

This species blooms very abundantly

The ripe fruits are very tasty (with different aroma than common tomato)

“ARCANUM group”

Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon arcanum = Solanum arcanum) – last season I harvested more fruits than in pervious. When it grows in smaller pot it is much earlier.

This species creates long, not dense shoots

... and small firm fruits

Ripe fruits (about 1cm = 0,4inch diameter)

Chmielewsky’s Wild Toamato (Lycopersicon chmielewskii = Solanum chmielewskii) – I am posting only new fruits photos. Easy, but needs to be sown early. Fruits have specific taste (“lemony”).

The species similar to previous one...

But with something larger fruits ..

... and leaves lemon-like fragrant

 Small-flower Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon parviflorum = Solanum neorickii) – I had no success with this plant, due to dangerous disease (probably bacterial canker) present on the seeds (so I needed to kill young plants and destroy them to not spread the disease to other plants). I will try again, but will soak the seeds in antibacterial Kocide before sowing.

The seeds are very small (the coin on the photo is size about 1 inch = 2,5cm)

“LYCOPERSICON” group

Galapagos Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon cheesmaniae = Solanum cheesmaniae) - this is tropical perennial - slender to robust and viny, to 4m (=13ft) in long. Fruits are 0,6-1,4cm (= 0,2-0,6 inch) diameter, yellow, quite sweet and without acidity, very delicious. Seeds small. It grows in nature on Galapagos Islands, on much higher altitudes than L. galapagense. I grew true species, not hybrid.

This species is very different than its cousin - L. galapagense

Ripe fruits are pale yellow

... and mature late

They are very delicious, sweetish

Galapagos Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon galapagense = Solanum cheesmaniae var. minor) – I grew “dense leaf” form last year. I was informed that the fruits of this species are inedible (and ever mildly poisonous! - some sources such said), but it can be not truth.

It have much divided leaves - "fern-like"

... very small flowers

Overripe fruits

Currant Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium var. pimpinellifolium = Solanum pimpinellifolium) – I grew true species. It was small plant with long racemes of small (1cm = 0,4inch) diameter, red fruits. Hard skin. Very easy and early.

This species has long, narrow petals

Small red fruits have quite strong skin

The coin is size about 1 inch = 2,5cm

Usual Wild Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum = Solanum lycopersicon) (a wild form from Florida) – it is very easy and early, very prolific. The vines grows into giant, dense bushes over 2m (7ft) tall. Fruits are about 2-2,5cm diameter (0,8-1 inch), tender skinned and very delicious. 

It has wider petals...

... and larger fruits with soft skin (very delicious)

  SOLANUM SECT.  JUGLANDIFOLIA:

Lycopersicon ochranthum (syn. Solanum ochranthum) - mentioned already above species (tall wood vine, sometimes garfted on L. penellii). I have not sown it in previous season, but I am showing a photo of seeds which are quite large (probably the largest in genus Lycopersicon):

The coin on the photo is size about 1 inch = 2,5cm