Trying a Unique New Tomato

This spring I’m going to try to grow a unique tomato relative, Solanum sisymbriifolium.

As the genus name implies, it is a member of the nightshade family ( Solanaceae).

This plant is known by a variety of names: Morelle de Balbis, red buffalo-bur, fireand- ice plant, or more commonly known in North America as the Litchi tomato.

The Litchi tomato is a thorny bush that grows to about five feet tall. It’s not really a true tomato. The bright red fruits are said to taste somewhat like a creamy sweet and sour cherry with a hint of tomato flavor. The fruits form in a husk similar to other tomato relatives like tomatillos and ground cherries. Some people line their gardens with a hedge of these thorny bushes to repel deer and other garden pests. The fruits are supposedly quite tasty. They’re used to make sweet dishes like pies and tarts.

Supposedly, the Litchi tomato can survive much colder weather than regular tomatoes – down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit for established plants. Some growers claim they can be perennial in Zones 9 and higher.

Litchi tomatoes are believed to be native to Central or South America. However, early explorers often found it growing on islands in the South Pacific. The cannibals of Fiji island supposedly made a condiment out of this fruit to eat with human flesh.

Could this plant have been part of a pre-Columbian cultural exchange? These kinds of botanical questions fascinate me, and that’s part of the reason I wanted to grow the Litchi this year in my garden.

I bought some seeds from Baker Creek Seed Co. ( rareseeds. com) and I started them indoors this week. They haven’t sprouted yet, but if I get good germination, I may have a few extra plants to trade or sell. Stay tuned for updates.