Now, more and more friends like to plant some vegetables and fruits in their own yard or balcony, many friends of the first choice of balcony vegetables is tomato. In fact, there are many varieties of tomatoes, if you want to plant in your own yard or balcony, you must pay attention to distinguish between the varieties of tomatoes, I've organized the characteristics and appearance of the eight varieties of common tomatoes for you, interested friends can learn together.

Tomato potted plants

First, the cherry tomato (Var. cerasiformeAlef)

The ancestor of the tomato is the cherry tomato (L. esculentumVar. cerasiforme), the cherry tomato is the only wild tomato found outside South America. Cherry tomatoes are better adapted to humid tropical conditions than other species of the common tomato genus. There is a close kinship between present-day tomato varieties and the wild cherry tomato. The two types can easily hybridize with each other.

The plant is a strong growing, trailing stem with a body covered with fine, short yellow fuzz (2.5mm long). Leaves are large. The notches are deep, the lobes long and acuminate at the apex, and the interlobes are elliptic, ovoid or rounded. Inflorescences mainly simple racemose, either long or short, with fewer flowers, consisting mainly of 5 perianths, with a few 6 perianths. Calyx almost as long as petals. Ovary globose, stigma short or as long as stamens. The fruit is spherical, of fiery red. Deep yellow and other colors, the locules are 2, the fruit smooth or velutinous, the seeds heart-shaped. It is velutinous.

This variety has a wide range: in Mexico, Central America. Peru and other places are distributed. Cherry tomato fruits have an acidic flavor and are widely used in canned foods and also as original material for selecting disease-resistant varieties.

Two, pear-shaped tomato (Var. pyriformeAlef)

The plant grows medium-strong, stems erect or trailing, smooth or covered with shaggy hairs, and leaves are medium-large to large. Inflorescences are mainly simple racemose. A few are strongly branched, with a few, occasionally many, flowers. Calyx shorter than petals. Petals acuminate to elliptic. Ovary elongate, stigma short or as long as stamens, fruit 2-loculed, occasionally 3-loculed. Fruit shape index is 1.5 to 2.0, fruit color is red, yellow. Pink, etc., heart-shaped, velvety.

The progeny from crosses between pear-shaped and spherical tomatoes are oval, oblong and ovoid; the progeny obtained from crosses with cultivated varieties are highly variable, thus providing great selectivity for obtaining many valuable varieties.

Three, plum-shaped tomato (Var. pruniforme)

The plant grows medium-strong, the stem height of 130 to 150cm, the leaves are medium-sized, the lobes are y notched, and the inflorescences are single racemose. Shorter, 8 to 10 cm long. few flowers, about 7, medium sized, with 5 to 6 petals, 2 cm in diameter, style length equal to the stamens. Fruit small-shaped (2.5-3.0cm long, 1.5-2.0cm wide), fruit shape index of 1.5-2, sub-cellular 2. Fruit weight 15-20g, fruit color red, yellow, pink, etc., few seeds.

Four, oblong tomato (Var. elongatum)

The plant grows moderately strong, the stem is erect or trailing, 70cm high, which is covered with velvet hairs, and the leaves are medium-large to large, with lobes ovate and entire. The inflorescence is simple racemose, occasionally compound racemose, with many or few flowers, usually with 7, perianth 5, a few with 6, sepals shorter than or longer than petals, style equal to or longer than stamens; the fruit weighs 30-50g, with colors of fiery red, pink and deep yellow.

This species is an edible species, widely distributed, with a high content of dry matter. Therefore, it is a good original material for cultivating processing varieties. At the same time it is less demanding on soil and more adaptable.

V. Common Tomato (Var. vulgare)

The plant grows strongly, and the stem is trailing, semi-trailing or dwarf. Branching is weak to strong, the body is velvety, and the leaves are medium to large with unshapely notches. Leaf color ranges from light to dark green, and leaf margins are obtusely serrate to acutely serrate. Inflorescences are racemose or compound racemose, with a few to many flowers. Fruits come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, as well as various stages of maturity, with most cultivars concentrated within this variety.

VI. Large-leaved tomato (Var. grandifolium)

The plant is medium to strong in growth, with medium or sparse leaf cover. Stems are spreading. It is velutinous, with large leaves that resemble potato leaves. So it is also called potato leaf tomato. The lobes of the leaves are 1 to 2 pairs, entire. The interlobes and lobules are missing. Inflorescences are simple or compound racemose. Flowers are medium, small shaped with 5-7 perianths. Fruits are variously rounded, oblate and flattened, some also ellipsoid. The locules range from few to many. Fruit color is flaming red. There are various kinds of pink or yellow color.

This variety is one of the few cultivated varieties, which has no special value in economic cultivation, and is listed as a variety only on the basis of the specificity of leaf shape.

Seven, upright tomato (Var. valiudmBaily)

The plant grows strongly, is dwarf or medium height, strong branching, the stem is thickly erect, short internodes, the stem has velvet hairs. The petioles are short, the leaves are rich green in color, and the folds are obvious. The inflorescence ranges from simple to compound racemose, with a few to many flowers, from small to large, with 5 to 6 perianths. The fruits are globular, oblate or flattened, with a smooth or rhombic surface. There are two main types of fire-red and pink fruits.

Eight, fine-leafed tomato (Lycopersiconpimpinellifolium (Jus1) Mill)

The colored-fruited wild species of the genus Tomato. Easily seen at lower elevations in Peru, its wild species grows in the coastal valleys throughout Peru, and the fine-leaved tomato can be collected along the coast of northern Peru (7° to 8° S). Fine-leaf tomatoes can also be collected around the Lima River, and in the southernmost part of Peru near the Chilean border.

The fine-leafed tomato and the common tomato can hybridize with each other, with very close affinities, and this is the only wild species that exhibits a natural gradual infiltration with the common tomato. Both of these cases indicate that the fine-leaf tomato played an important role in the evolution of the cultivated tomato, since the present variety is closely related to it and easily backcrossed. Fine-leaved tomato is an attractive germplasm resource for plant breeding. Varieties resistant to Fusarium wilt and bacterial blotch have been developed using fine-leaf tomatoes as parents.

Lastly, I need to remind you that all common tomato varieties are self-fertile and the only inbreedable, and the fruit of the common tomato has a variety of shapes, so you can not just observe the shape of the fruit when distinguishing.