Japanese name: トマト Scientific name:Lycopersicon esculentum
[Overview]
A perennial growing up to 3 m tall, but treated as an annual.
The stem is weak; it is erect at first but later creeps along the ground.
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, about 45 cm long, with 5–9 leaflets 7–9 cm long.
The leaflet margins curl or wrinkle.
The flowers are borne 3–20 in cymes arising from the leaf axils.
The flowers are yellow, 2.5 cm across, and the corolla is deeply divided into 5 lobes.
The fruit is oblate, about 5–10 cm across, and usually ripens red.
[History]
It is said to have been brought to Japan by the Dutch in the early 18th century; it was first grown as an ornamental and has been eaten since about the middle of the Meiji era.
[Cultivation]
Care is needed to avoid problems caused by continuous cropping.
