ten
FACTS ON
TOMATOES
1 The tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, entered the agricultural
record somewhere in western South America around 700 AD.
by Philip McIntosh 2 The genus name derives from Greek, lykos (wolf) and persicon
(peach) and the specific epithet means “good to eat.”
Once thought to be the
poisonous fruit of an unpleasant
vine, the tomato has evolved
into a staple fruit easily grown
using hydroponic methods. 3 4 Tomatoes, recognizable as members of the nightshade family
5 The tomato’s early bad reputation in Europe and America was
6 True, the family contains the notorious deadly nightshade,
7
Maximum Yield
(Solanaceae), have not always been considered esculent.
due to its association with nightshades, and from much false information
propagated by would-be experts.
Atropa belladonna, but so do well-known edible species such
as peppers, potatoes, tomatillos, and eggplant.
Times have changed and the tomato is harvested worldwide
at a rate of about 40 million tons per year.
8 It varies by region, but currently about a quarter of all tomato
9 Tomatoes are not deadly poisonous, but they do contain the
toxic alkaloid, tomatine, most of which is localized in leaves and stems.
10
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One often sees another name for this plant still in use,
Solanum lycopersicum.
growers in North America use hydroponic production methods.
You’d have to eat about 500 grams of tomato leaves to
experience any serious negative effects from the tomatine.