Galapagos tomato info please

Jeannine Anne · May 20, 2011

Hi, I have a packet of seeds that were sent to me from Australia a couple of years ago.

They are marked Galapagos.

For some reason I have lost the original packet but there was one.I clearly remember it said from the Island of Galapogos on it, but there was also something about not to be confused with the variety???.then my memory fails me. Salt seems to rind a bell too, wether it said will stand salt or not the type that stands salt I can't remember.

I have googled and have read so many conflicting descriptions it seems as if there are several types of Galapogos tomatoes some wild, some apparently have to go through the digestive system of a tortoise to germinate I am more confused than ever.

Amy Goldman has one she calls Saras, picked wild from the island apparently and she named it.. could this be the same one, in which case it had a name so I am confused about that too.

Due to the tortoise thing I have never bothered growing it and am reluctant if it is a wild one as I have read they are bland.Also I read somewhere that there may be extensive crossing if I grew it near my others.

Can anyone tell me about ANY Galapagos tomatoes they have grown please

Thank you

XX Jeannine.

DanishGardener · May 20, 2011

I am growing two diffrent L. cheesmaniae this year, both are from a European gene bank that collected the seeds on the Galapagos Islands.

I had no trouble getting them to germinate (both germinated within five days).

L. cheesmaniae f. minor (Isabela Island. Collection site: 3 km. west of Punta Albermarle)

L. cheesmaniae (Santa Cruz Island. Collection site: Barranco, 1 km. north of Punta Ayora)

Jeannine Anne · May 20, 2011

Thank you, that certainly solves one problem. On the packet I have which is an inner packet and has little info on it it simply says Galapagos,vine which I took to mean indeterminate.

Did you have any information regarding colour or growing habits please?

What differences to your two have?

Thank you XX Jeannine

clara · May 20, 2011

Jeannine, I've grown a Galapagos variety which was yellow, fruit size about 3 cm, oval. I've kept it in a big hanging basket, but I think you could use stakes, too. Mine was definitely det. Sorry, I don't remember the taste exactly and can't find my notes at the moment; I suppose it was on the average, otherwise I would remember more. Somewhere I've read that you could add a little bit of salt to the water from time to time, but I didn't do. clara

Jeannine Anne · May 20, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by clara

Jeannine, I've grown a Galapagos variety which was yellow, fruit size about 3 cm, oval. I've kept it in a big hanging basket, but I think you could use stakes, too. Mine was definitely det. Sorry, I don't remember the taste exactly and can't find my notes at the moment; I suppose it was on the average, otherwise I would remember more. Somewhere I've read that you could add a little bit of salt to the water from time to time, but I didn't do. clara

Clara, thank you.

I have found the old e mails from 2008 when I originally got these seeds from a friend I have from lost contact with. They came from Diggers in Australia, I remember the name on the packet now. Diggers don't have them this year but I have sent them an e mail so am hoping I get a reply.

Gosh, I have read so much stuff on the net it is mind boggling but yellow seems to fairly consistant, apparently there is a red too but it was an introduced one.. still very difficult to understand with all the stuff out there.

Maybe I still have time to sow a few for the greenhouse.

Thank you again.

XX Jeannine

**carolyn137** · May 20, 2011

J, take a look in your SSE YEarbook, other species section, and you'll see the many listings/accession, from the Galapagos Islands, of which there are many.

Seeds for the Galapagos island ones were initially trsanposted to the Galapagos by birds of wind from the areas in South America where tomatoes originated from. Introduction of other species more recently has complicated the issue/

First, the one that's salt tolernant is S. cheesmanii.

When Amy Goldman went to the Galapagos I had asked her to bring me back seeds for S, cheesmanni, but what she brought back was not that. SOmehnow she got fruits through customs and sent them to me ASAP and since I knew which Island she got them from I contacted the Rick Center to see what they knew. And looking at the accessions from that island they were able to tell me that what Amy named Sarah's Galapagos was NOT a true currant species ( S. pimpinellifolium), but was probably a stable interspecies cross. And it's the best tasting of the currant varieties that I'v tried over the years based on taste. I was also given a link to a site in Britain where research was being done on DNA sequence analysis of accessions form the Galapagos Islands.

I took the fresh seeds out of those fruits, germinated the seeds, set out a couple of plants, saved seeds and sent them back to Amy Goldman.

I hope that helps. There is no one Galapagos tomato, it depends on which island something came from and due to interspecies crossing and later introduction of typical garden tomatoes the natural species are being compromised. But the Rick Center at UC Davis in the works gheadquarters for tomato species and they have accessions going back to when Drl Rick frost brouight home the seeds for the several species. And yes, in the lab they overcame the tortoise story with cheesmanii by special treatrmsnts to get the seeds to germinate.

The Rick Center does not offer seeds; it's primarily a place where professional hybridizers who can document themselves as same can acquire some accessions to use in their breeding projects.

Jeannine Anne · May 20, 2011

Thanks Carolyn, so I guess I just have to grow them to see. Maybe I will get an answer from Diggers meanwhile..

I have just realised I forgot to renew my SSE membership this year, probably too late to get the yearbook now even if I do it. I have the 2010 and earlier ones though I will have a look in there

Laughing now. I don't think I should continue sorting out my seeds,I could find all sorts of mysteries.

it the Plate d H..all over again.

XX Jeannine

They never came by the way!!

**carolyn137** · May 20, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeannine Anne

Thanks Carolyn, so I guess I just have to grow them to see. Maybe I will get an answer from Diggers meanwhile..

I have just realised I forgot to renew my SSE membership this year, probably too late to get the yearbook now even if I do it. I have the 2010 and earlier ones though I will have a look in there

Laughing now. I don't think I should continue sorting out my seeds,I could find all sorts of mysteries.

it the Plate d H..all over again.

XX Jeannine

They never came by the way!!

You could call SSE and ask, or e-mail them off their home page to find out if you renew now if there are still 2011 Yearbooks available. They send them out as long as they have some in stock to new members and renewal members.

frogsleap farm · May 20, 2011

I am growing an accession of S. galapagense (formerly L. cheesmanii minor) this year that has been a popular source for high soluble solids in breeding of modern tomatoes. As Carolyn notes, this species/sub species has also been a source of salt tolerance. It apparently crosses readily with cultivated tomato. Here's a photo of the fruit from TGRC http://frogsleapfarm.blogspot.com/20...with-brix.html

cornbreadlouie · November 20, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by frogsleap farm

I am growing an accession of S. galapagense (formerly L. cheesmanii minor) this year that has been a popular source for high soluble solids in breeding of modern tomatoes. As Carolyn notes, this species/sub species has also been a source of salt tolerance. It apparently crosses readily with cultivated tomato. Here's a photo of the fruit from TGRC http://frogsleapfarm.blogspot.com/20...with-brix.html

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I was wondering where you got your seeds from. I found 2 different commercial sources but neither of the pictures look like the tomatoes you posted on your blog. I had to order them anyways though.

Also if you took any pictures of your cheesmanii plants I'd love to see them.

frogsleap farm · November 20, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by cornbreadlouie

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I was wondering where you got your seeds from. I found 2 different commercial sources but neither of the pictures look like the tomatoes you posted on your blog. I had to order them anyways though.

Also if you took any pictures of your cheesmanii plants I'd love to see them.

I got the seed from TGRC at UC Davis. It was an interesting plant, but way too late for me last year to get ripe fruit, or use in crosses.

kurt · November 20, 2011

There is a lot of hub-hub about the Kumato toamtoe that comes from the islands down there.I found some in a grocery store and grew them.They are a chocolate mahoghany mid sized tomatoe that is really good eating both green and when ripened.The first generation tasted just like the store boughts and I am currently growing this year here in S Florida(second batch).I believe they are marketed by a company from Canada called Sygenta or something like that.The PR info was that they came from tortoise digested material.My plants grew like a cherry but were more like a determinate round tomatoe.Very interesting plant.Good yield.If anything I would compare it to a Black Prince/Siberian.They sold in the store as a round tomatoe and a cherry also(but the cherry had very thick skins)

pittaro90 · December 7, 2011

@Danish Gardener: what is that European gene bank? I can ask them some seeds?

May 20, 2011	#1
Jeannine Anne Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 1,553	Galapagos tomato info please Hi, I have a packet of seeds that were sent to me from Australia a couple of years ago. They are marked Galapagos. For some reason I have lost the original packet but there was one.I clearly remember it said from the Island of Galapogos on it, but there was also something about not to be confused with the variety???.then my memory fails me. Salt seems to rind a bell too, wether it said will stand salt or not the type that stands salt I can't remember. I have googled and have read so many conflicting descriptions it seems as if there are several types of Galapogos tomatoes some wild, some apparently have to go through the digestive system of a tortoise to germinate I am more confused than ever. Amy Goldman has one she calls Saras, picked wild from the island apparently and she named it.. could this be the same one, in which case it had a name so I am confused about that too. Due to the tortoise thing I have never bothered growing it and am reluctant if it is a wild one as I have read they are bland.Also I read somewhere that there may be extensive crossing if I grew it near my others. Can anyone tell me about ANY Galapagos tomatoes they have grown please Thank you XX Jeannine.

May 20, 2011	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	J, take a look in your SSE YEarbook, other species section, and you'll see the many listings/accession, from the Galapagos Islands, of which there are many. Seeds for the Galapagos island ones were initially trsanposted to the Galapagos by birds of wind from the areas in South America where tomatoes originated from. Introduction of other species more recently has complicated the issue/ First, the one that's salt tolernant is S. cheesmanii. When Amy Goldman went to the Galapagos I had asked her to bring me back seeds for S, cheesmanni, but what she brought back was not that. SOmehnow she got fruits through customs and sent them to me ASAP and since I knew which Island she got them from I contacted the Rick Center to see what they knew. And looking at the accessions from that island they were able to tell me that what Amy named Sarah's Galapagos was NOT a true currant species ( S. pimpinellifolium), but was probably a stable interspecies cross. And it's the best tasting of the currant varieties that I'v tried over the years based on taste. I was also given a link to a site in Britain where research was being done on DNA sequence analysis of accessions form the Galapagos Islands. I took the fresh seeds out of those fruits, germinated the seeds, set out a couple of plants, saved seeds and sent them back to Amy Goldman. I hope that helps. There is no one Galapagos tomato, it depends on which island something came from and due to interspecies crossing and later introduction of typical garden tomatoes the natural species are being compromised. But the Rick Center at UC Davis in the works gheadquarters for tomato species and they have accessions going back to when Drl Rick frost brouight home the seeds for the several species. And yes, in the lab they overcame the tortoise story with cheesmanii by special treatrmsnts to get the seeds to germinate. The Rick Center does not offer seeds; it's primarily a place where professional hybridizers who can document themselves as same can acquire some accessions to use in their breeding projects. __________________ Carolyn

May 20, 2011	#2
DanishGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Denmark Posts: 328	I am growing two diffrent L. cheesmaniae this year, both are from a European gene bank that collected the seeds on the Galapagos Islands. I had no trouble getting them to germinate (both germinated within five days). L. cheesmaniae f. minor (Isabela Island. Collection site: 3 km. west of Punta Albermarle) L. cheesmaniae (Santa Cruz Island. Collection site: Barranco, 1 km. north of Punta Ayora)

May 20, 2011	#4
clara Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Posts: 1,351	Jeannine, I've grown a Galapagos variety which was yellow, fruit size about 3 cm, oval. I've kept it in a big hanging basket, but I think you could use stakes, too. Mine was definitely det. Sorry, I don't remember the taste exactly and can't find my notes at the moment; I suppose it was on the average, otherwise I would remember more. Somewhere I've read that you could add a little bit of salt to the water from time to time, but I didn't do. clara

May 20, 2011	#9
frogsleap farm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 568	I am growing an accession of S. galapagense (formerly L. cheesmanii minor) this year that has been a popular source for high soluble solids in breeding of modern tomatoes. As Carolyn notes, this species/sub species has also been a source of salt tolerance. It apparently crosses readily with cultivated tomato. Here's a photo of the fruit from TGRC http://frogsleapfarm.blogspot.com/20...with-brix.html

November 20, 2011	#12
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,500	There is a lot of hub-hub about the Kumato toamtoe that comes from the islands down there.I found some in a grocery store and grew them.They are a chocolate mahoghany mid sized tomatoe that is really good eating both green and when ripened.The first generation tasted just like the store boughts and I am currently growing this year here in S Florida(second batch).I believe they are marketed by a company from Canada called Sygenta or something like that.The PR info was that they came from tortoise digested material.My plants grew like a cherry but were more like a determinate round tomatoe.Very interesting plant.Good yield.If anything I would compare it to a Black Prince/Siberian.They sold in the store as a round tomatoe and a cherry also(but the cherry had very thick skins)

December 7, 2011	#13
pittaro90 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Italy Posts: 23	@Danish Gardener: what is that European gene bank? I can ask them some seeds?