Do Giant Tree Tomato Plants Really Produce?

Identification

• Rather than growing on a vine, tree tomato plants are attached to a small, upright shrub. They produce a fruit similar to the traditional tomato, but with some distinct differences. The tree tomato, Cyphomandra betacea, stands between 6 and 12 feet in height and produces a fruit that looks like a cross between an eggplant and tomato.

Fruit

• The tree tomato really does produce as it grows a fruit between 2 and 3 inches in length with a smooth, oval appearance. Skin color varies, ranging between red, dark red -- marketed as "black" -- and yellow. When grown from seed, the plant requires two years to bloom fruit.

Taste

• The primary difference in the tree tomato is taste. The yellow variety is considered the most succulent and generally utilized in preserves and stews. Overall, the species possesses the taste of a very mild or unripe, "normal" tomato. The plant can be expected to provide a yield for five to six years.