The tamarillo , scientifically classified asSolanum betaceum(formerlyCyphomandra betacea ) , go to the Solanaceae kinfolk , normally known as the nightshade family . This family include familiar plant like tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) , potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum ) , and eggplant bush ( Solanum melongena ) . The genusSolanumis vast , with over 1,500 mintage , and tamarillo ’s reclassification fromCyphomandrareflects modern genetic and morphological studies aligning it closer to true Solanum species . Native to the Andes , it ’s a subtropical bush or small tree , recognize by its egg - shaped fruit and recounting to other eatable nightshades .
Tamarillo in all probability originated in the Andean highlands of Peru , Ecuador , Bolivia , and Chile , though its uncivilised ancestor are elusive , suggesting early tameness by Indigenous citizenry . It ’s considered one of the “ lost crop of the Incas , ” with evidence of cultivation predating European contact , though accurate timelines remain speculative . By the 16th century , it had spread across South America , naturalizing in Colombia , Brazil , and Venezuela . Europeans meet it during compound geographic expedition , but it gained extrusion in New Zealand in the late 19th century after seeds arrived from Asia and South America . Renamed “ tamarillo ” in 1967 by the New Zealand Tree Tomato Promotions Council to key out it from tomato and advance its exotic appeal , it became a commercial craw there , peaking post - World War II when vitamin speed of light - plenteous fruit were scarce .
Tamarillo is a fast - acquire , evergreen plant or semi - deciduous bush or tree diagram , pass on 10 - 18 feet ( 3 - 5.5 meters ) tall , with brittle , shallow roots and large , gist - shape leaves ( 4 - 13 inch long ) that emit a musky odor . Its flowers , lowly and fragrant ( pallid pink to lavender ) , bloom in clusters from spring , giving elbow room to egg - shaped fruit ( 2 - 4 inches long , 1.5 - 2 in wide ) that hang like ornaments . The tegument varies — red , yellow , orange , or purple — often with fainthearted stripe , and is tough and vitriolic , typically peeled before eat . The flesh range from orangish - loss to jaundiced , with a juicy , ejaculate - filled pulp ( black in darker fruit , xanthous in lighter ones ) fence in larger , flatter seeds than a tomato plant ’s . The taste is tangy and mildly sweet , fuse tomato plant - like sour with notes of passion fruit or apricot ; jaundiced diverseness are sweet , ruby-red ace more sour .
Solanum betaceumthrives in subtropical mood , best befit to USDA zone 10 - 11 , where temperatures stay above 50 ° F ( 10 ° one C ) for consistent fruiting . It can abide brief dip to 28 ° F ( -2 ° C ) with some leaf expiration , but frost damages young plants and halt emergence below this threshold . In zone 8 - 9 , it ’s grown as a container plant , brought indoors during winter , as its shallow root and ice sensitivity limit outdoor survival in cooler climates . It prefers full Sunday ( 6 - 8 hours daily ) , though partial nicety helps in scorching heating , and well - drained , fertile dirt enriched with compost . In its native Andes and New Zealand , it expand at peak of 5,000 - 10,000 feet , avoiding red-hot , lowland tropics where fruit set falters .
