patiogardeness
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:31 pm

What kind of tomato do I have?

A friend of mine gave me a tomato plant as a gift, but couldn't remember what kind it was. I wonder if anyone here can help me identify it? The tomatoes are ridged and the flowers have layers of tiers. There are pictures attached. Please let me know what you think!
Attachments
2013-07-17 15 48 41.jpg
2013-07-17 15 48 41.jpg (43.59 KiB) Viewed 1365 times
2013-07-17 15 48 26.jpg
2013-07-17 15 48 26.jpg (38.93 KiB) Viewed 1365 times
2013-07-17 15 47 01.jpg
2013-07-17 15 47 01.jpg (13.72 KiB) Viewed 1365 times

dtizme
Cool Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 10:23 pm
Location: Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada. Zone 5a

I would say it's next to impossible to tell just by seeing those pictures. If anyone can prove this wrong I would love to hear what you have to say!!!

patiogardeness
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:31 pm

Darn! I was hoping that the ridging and the tiered petals on the flower were unique enough features. Is there some other aspect of the plant that would help identify the kind of tomato it is?

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I couldn't tell for sure from your pictures. Is that a potato leafed variety?

Image

potato leaf variety leaves don't have to be quite as simple as those:

Image


If it is a potato leaf, it could be "good old fashioned red" a potato leafed variety with similar flowers and ridged tomatoes:

https://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki ... hioned_Red

But tatitiana lists over 400 varieties of potato leaf tomatoes alone, so this is just a stab in the dark. It will help narrow it down a bit when you see what color it ripens up to.

PS actually as I read tatiana again, it doesn't really matter about the leaves because apparently there is a potato leaf variety Old Fashioned Red and a regular leaf variety Good Old Fashioned Red, that both have the ridged tomatoes and everything...

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30542
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Tomato bloom shape is not a very good indicator, though bloom size can sometimes help to differentiate -- tiny blooms are more likely o be cherry tomatoes and huge blooms are more likely to be large slicer type. In addition to leaf shape, other characteristics to look for are fruit size and color and plant size.... But size can be readily influenced by the way they are being grown, so we need to knw that too -- especially if growing in container.

Can we get a better look at the shape of thse fruits and how big they are? The way it pleats in on itself is pretty interesting and can point to some varieties, but the shape and size of the fruits would be critical. Costoluto Genovese is a pretty common variety with deeply pleated fruits, but with flattened shape -- these look as though they may have more pointed bottoms (heart-shape)?

Would the friend have a list of possible names? Did they grow from seeds or buy the plant?

patiogardeness
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2013 6:31 pm

Thank you for your posts! The leaves are regular variety, not potato leaf. The fruits are not near maturity yet, so I will update this page with more pictures when they do, and hope that then we will know. My friend planted them from seed, and each time that I've asked her what kind they are, she has answered either "the big kind" or with silence, so I assume she tossed the seed packet in the trash back in March and forgot about it. :) I just want to know if they are heirlooms, so I can save the seed for next year if I like them!

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Very hard to tell, it is some kind of heart. There are so many that look like that with pleats. It could be anything. All I can say is save seed and grow it again if it's worth it.



Return to “TOMATO FORUM”