Tomato [Solanum lycopersicum]

Tomatoes

Table tomatoes are one of the most cultivated crops in the world and there are several hundred varieties of tomato available. The fruit is rich in lycopene and Vitamin C. Tomatoes are used in various ways. Ripe tomatoes are consumed fresh and are also be fried or used in cooking. They are also sundried or processed into tomato sauce, puree, powder and soup or as canned tomatoes, chutney and jam.

The tomato is a perennial but grown as an annual plant grown for its fruits. It is a branching herbaceous plant with hairy, weak trailing stems. The leaves are hairy and vary in size. The plant bears yellow flowers in clusters. The fruits are round to lobed and they vary in size and colour, ranging from red to pink or yellow when ripe. The plant produces flat, slightly curved and hairy light brown seeds.