Cyphomandra corymbiflora

[ShadyDan]

Has anybody grown the hardy tree tomato (Cyphomandra corymbiflora) before? Not a lot of info on the interwebs for this one...

Someone in my area is selling seedlings and I'm intrigued at the supposed hardiness rating of -10C. It is native to the Andes, so my cool summers wont be an issue. I imagine it would just need to be irrigated.

How cold hardy have they been for you? Are the fruits tasty or not worth the trouble? Any other insight anyone has would be great too!

[mulungu]

Hi ShadyDan, I hope you eventually find answers to your questions.  My info is limited, but since no one else is piping up, better limited info than none at all.

I've had it growing for the last 5 or 6 years here in San Antonio, Texas.  But it's only been in the ground for around 4 months.  Since this species can be hard to come by in the US, and not readily replaceable, I've protected the pots from bad winter cold fronts.  So unfortunately I can't offer information about its true cold hardiness.  My dim recollection is that a few years ago it survived but defoliated in a pot in an unexpected November freeze to 21 F (-6 C).  I'd be surprised if the -10C (14 F) hardiness claimed for it on some sites is true without life-threatening damage, but it may be more resistant in the ground.

Speaking of which, it has loved being in the ground this summer and has taken off.   With adequate watering and shade it generally tolerated San Antonio summer heat OK in a pot, but mostly just tolerated it.  It was in the cooler autumn temps and rainfall that it used to really come into its own.  But so far this year it has looked content all summer.  Not sure if this is because it prefers being in the ground or because this summer has been so unusually cool and wet here [usually dry July with daily highs 95-102 F (35-39 C)  but this year we've barely been cracking high 80s-low 90s F, with abundant rainfall].  I can imagine it would thrive in your BC summers.

Hmm, what else to say?  The leaves are big and exotic looking.  But when bruised, they stink to high heaven.  Many members of the tomato family have an unpleasant smell of the leaves, but the stench from this one is "next-level."

Mine have flowered but not fruited, so I regret not being able to comment on that.  Tried hand pollination of flowers on the same plant, but no luck.  From a paper I read recently, individuals of this species are self-incompatible.  So if you decide to buy seedlings I'd suggest getting at least a couple in order to have any chance of fruit.  Best of luck!  Cheers.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by mulungu

[ShadyDan]

That’s great info, thanks @mulungu! Glad to hear it survived -6 with just defoliation. I’m very tempted to try but now I have to find a nice protected spot for 2 plants and not just one! Keep us posted on yours in the future.