Solanum sibundoyense
Encyclopedia
Solanum sibundoyense is a species of plant
in the Solanaceae
family. It is endemic to Colombia
, specifically the to Sibundoy
and surrounding areas, and usually resides in cloud forest
s, 1400-2300 meters in elevation. It is also known as tomate salvaje or tomate silvestre to natives of Colombia, and also sometimes called Cyphomandra sibundoyensis. It's a small tree 4-8 m tall. Stems glabrous or sparsely puberulent with glandular and eglandular hairs less than 0.5 mm long.
. Although a good candidate for trial as a fruit crop, it may be difficult to successfully cultivate this species outside the specialized climate of southern Colombia where it is native. In trials in New Zealand
, it was noted that trees cultivated in semi-shade set very large crops of fruit, but plants grown in full sun performed very poorly. The trees were somewhat subject to branch die-back on fruiting branches, and pests like aphids and white flies are attracted to the trees.
Historically, the fruit has been used to make black, blue, or yellow dye by the natives of the Sibundoy Valley of southern Colombia. Some sources show that the placenta of the fruit may be used as a cure for intestinal worms. Finally, Schultes and Raffauf (1990) report that the Kamsá Indians
of the Sibundoy Valley use a decoction of the leaves as a vermifuge
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
family. It is endemic to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, specifically the to Sibundoy
Sibundoy
Sibundoy is a town and municipality located in the Putumayo Department, Republic of Colombia.This town existed well before the Spanish came in 1534. The Incan under Huayna Cápac conquered the local people in 1492 and established a Quechua-speaking settlement. The descendants of these people are the...
and surrounding areas, and usually resides in cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
s, 1400-2300 meters in elevation. It is also known as tomate salvaje or tomate silvestre to natives of Colombia, and also sometimes called Cyphomandra sibundoyensis. It's a small tree 4-8 m tall. Stems glabrous or sparsely puberulent with glandular and eglandular hairs less than 0.5 mm long.
Uses
The fruits are edible and have a pleasant acidulous taste. The plant produces some of the largest fruits known in section Pachyphylla. The fruit pulp is sweet, juicy, and pleasant-tasting, with citrus overtones. A purplish layer of soft pulp surrounds the seeds. Fruits ripen slowly, but once ripe thair shelf life is longer than that of the tamarilloTamarillo
Solanum betaceum is a small tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Solanaceae. It is best known as the species that bears the tamarillo, an egg-shaped edible fruit...
. Although a good candidate for trial as a fruit crop, it may be difficult to successfully cultivate this species outside the specialized climate of southern Colombia where it is native. In trials in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, it was noted that trees cultivated in semi-shade set very large crops of fruit, but plants grown in full sun performed very poorly. The trees were somewhat subject to branch die-back on fruiting branches, and pests like aphids and white flies are attracted to the trees.
Historically, the fruit has been used to make black, blue, or yellow dye by the natives of the Sibundoy Valley of southern Colombia. Some sources show that the placenta of the fruit may be used as a cure for intestinal worms. Finally, Schultes and Raffauf (1990) report that the Kamsá Indians
Camsá language
Camsá is a language isolate of Colombia.-Genealogical relations:Camsá has been linked with various hypothetical phylum proposals including Macro-Chibchan....
of the Sibundoy Valley use a decoction of the leaves as a vermifuge
Sources
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Solanum sibundoyense. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 23 August 2007.
- Natural History Museum http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/solanaceaesource/taxonomy/description-detail.jsp?spnumber=5312