Search for Solanum Cheesmaniae seeds

[osmoregulator]

Hello everybody! Does anybody know where I could get the real Solanum Cheesmaniae seeds? I have been looking for a cultivar that's salt tolerant. Can you recommend a place to buy from?

(I did found this place: therustedgarden.blogspot.com/p/2013-seed-sale.html ,has anybody ordered from there? Is it a trustworthy place?)

I am in Europe, BTW.

Thank you!

[DarJones]

If you are willing to pay a fee for the phyto certificate, you can order from TGRC.

tgrc.ucdavis.edu/

There are two species recognized from the Galapagos. S. Cheesmaniae and S. Galapagense. I don't recall off the top of my head which is salt tolerant, but it will be the one that grows on the coast. If you are reading older literature, look for L. Cheesmanii and L. Cheesmanii F. Minor.

DarJones

[raymondo]

Trade Winds Fruit lists it, as does B&T World Seeds. Whether they are 'the real deal' or not I don't know. I'm growing what was given to me as Solanum cheesemaniae but it doesn't really match the botanical descriptions I've seen, so I'm not sure what it is I'm growing. Great little plant though producing enormous quantities if little fruit. None ripe yet so I don't know about colour or flavour. Happy to send you some seeds of this, whatever it is.

[blueadzuki]

Sandhill Preservation has it as well.

BTW speaking of the tomatoes of Galapagos I was wondering if someone could confirm something. While re-reading my copy of Edwin A. Menninger's Fantastic Trees I note a mention of S. esculentum minor (which I guess would mean S. galapagense now). Menninger claims to have heard something odd about the plant, namely that germination of seeds is very, very difficult UNLESS the fruit has been eaten by a giant tortoise and the seed voided. Does anyone have any experiance with this species who can confirm whether or not this is true (I am well aware of the fact that tomato seed pass easily through digestive systems and remain fertile, but a tomato that requires that is new to me.)

[DarJones]

Blue, yes, it is correct. The galapagos tomatoes germinate best after being eaten by a tortoise. Most propagation today is done by soaking the seed in 2.5% bleach solution for 30 minutes. This deactivates dormancy compounds in the seedcoat.

If you think about it a bit, tortoises are vegetarians and their excrement is good quality fertilizer. So for a tomato to be selective about not growing until conditions are ideal......

DarJones

[neal]

I bought the "Galapagos Island Tomato" from Trade Winds Fruit last year - it is the pear-shaped variety that they offer. Seeds germinated well, and the fruits came out looking just like their photo, so I have no complaints. I'm in SE Michigan on fertile soil, so I can't speak to if they grow well in salty soil as claimed.

I bought the seed with the intention of feeding the tomatoes to the tortoises we eventually got my son last year, but found out too late that Russian Tortoises have a very different diet than their distant Galapagos relatives! I'll be investing in more lettuce seed this year......

[wingnut]

Neal, russian tortoises need alot of ruffage such as HAY in their diet I believe.....and very little 'lettuce'

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Don't know where to post this. In anticipation for this years garden i started some tomato seedlings indoors in a flat with adequate lighting. I plant to start more soon. Part of my tomato grow outs (and potential breeding) will include several (what i thought) interesting Solanum cheesmaniae and Solanum galapagense accessions.

While i did not plant all of them, of the 6 accessions i have planted i have two or three that have not germinated any, two that have only germinated two, and i have one that out of 6 cells has germinated what may be 5. It is still early and more could germinate in the future, but the one that has germinated 5/6 seems promising. It is accession LA0530 and is described as having orange-brown fruits. The only accession described with that description. All of these followed the suggestion to use a 2.7% bleach solution for 1 hour. Mine was probably closer to 3% at 1 hour.

Does the bleach really improve germination for galapagos tomatoes? I find it hard to believe that they really need that to germinate and find the whole tortoise thing to sound awfully like a myth. In fact some of the accessions were found on islands where no tortoises are known to live or visit and are wondered by scientists if they have spread by birds and/or iguanas. Some are highly attractive to invasive feral goats apparently. Although goats probably eat anything.

[steev]

Aside from pre-GI-tract treatment (gizzards, for instance), I see no reason why my gut ought not to provide the conditions conducive to germination, the problem being monitoring so as not to lose the "treated" seeds.

[nicollas]

No fee for phyto if the order from TGRC only contains wild species (never tried).

[DarJones]

Keen, it is an accurate statement within limits. The galapagos tomatoes grow best after having passed through a tortoise's stomach. They also can survive birds and other animals including iguanas and mammals.

Steve, that is an easy problem to fix. First, eat some red chalk, then the seed, then some blue chalk. You will know they are on the way when it turns red and it is all over when it turns blue. If any other body parts turn blue, presume something is bad wrong and go to the doctor.

[steev]

Would crayons also work, or would that be coloring outside the lines?

[kctomato]

Mar 11, 2016 22:18:59 GMT -5 DarJones said:

Steve, that is an easy problem to fix. First, eat some red chalk, then the seed, then some blue chalk. You will know they are on the way when it turns red and it is all over when it turns blue. If any other body parts turn blue, presume something is bad wrong and go to the doctor.

Alabama should be called Mr. Sippi since it's next to Mrs. Sippi.