Family: SOLANACEAE
The other common name for tamarillo is tree tomato. It is a native to the temperate Andes of South America but is known today, only as a domestic plant. It is ideally suited to small gardens in tropical and sub tropical climates, although it will grow in cooler areas, provided it is grown in a sunny, sheltered location. It is an erect, shrubby, fast growing evergreen reaching a height of 4 m. It is easy to grow, but fairly short lived. Tamarillo needs a rich, moist, well drained soil as it will not tolerate either waterlogging or drought. It is also very shallow rooted, so heavy mulch-ing is recommended. If the roots become too dry or damaged in some way, the fruits will not mature, but will fall off. It is slightly frost tolerant (to - 2°C).
The fruits are egg shaped, about 5 cm long and either yellow, red or dark red, depending on the variety. The yellow fruits are the sweetest, the red ones having a harsher, more acid flavour. They are best eaten fresh, but can also be made into jams, jellies and preserves. The skin is easily removed if the fruit is dipped in hot water.
Nutritional composition of the tamarillo per 100 grams of edible portion is: Water - 82.7 -87.8%, Fat - 0.0. - 1.28 g, Carbohydrates - 10.3 g, Protein - 1.5 g, Ash - 0.61 - 0.84 g, Calcium - 3.9 - 11.3 mg, Iron - 0.66 - 0.94 mg, Phosphorous - 52.5 - 65.5 mg (mostly in the seeds), Vitamin A - 540 IU, Thiamin - 0.038 - 0.137 mg, Riboflavin0.035 - 0.048 mg, Niacin - 1 . 1 -1.38 mg and Ascorbic acid - 23.3 - 33.9 mg.
The tree has some value as bee forage.
The tamarillo can be propagated either from seed or cuttings. Plants grown from cuttings tend to be lower and bushier.