Cherry Tomato
Cherry tomatoes on the vine
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Solanum
Species:	S. lycopersicum
Binomial name
Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme
Synonyms
Lycopersicon lycopersicum var. cerasiforme Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme

A cherry tomato is a smaller garden variety of tomato. It is marketed at a premium to ordinary tomatoes, and is popular as a snack and in salads. Cherry tomatoes are generally considered to be similar but not identical to the wild precursor of the domestic tomato. They are often more sour than standard tomatoes.

Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from being spherical to slightly oblong in shape. The more oblong ones often share characteristics with plum tomatoes, and are known as grape tomatoes.

[edit] Biology

The cherry tomato is regarded as a botanical variety of the cultivated tomato, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme. It was widely cultivated in Central America when the Conquistadores arrived and is thought to be the ancestor of all cultivated tomatoes. The most popular varieties today were developed in the Rehovot Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

The cherry tomato has 24 chromosomes, and a short style.

[edit] Cultivars

There are a number of cherry tomato varieties. Perhaps the most popular in US and British gardens are "Sweet 100" and "Gardener's Delight" respectively.

The Santorini cherry tomato originated in Santorini (Greece), and is known for its flavour and body. International conferences dedicated to the cultivation, horticulture and agriculture of the cherry tomato are also held at Santorini..

[edit] See also

• List of tomato cultivars