Suspect Plant - Because of the poisonous relatives, tomatoes were suspected by many as poisonous
- Hard reputation to live down
- In 1820 Col. Robert Johnson ate a bushel of tomatoes in front of a crowd to prove they were safe
Popular “vegetable” - Although botanically it is simple fleshy fruit (a berry), in 1893 the Supreme Court ruled it was a vegetable
- Widely used in fresh, canned, dried, pickled, and processed varieties
- Also a favorite experimental tool - used in space shuttle, genetic engineering, and cloning experiments
Apples - Malus pumila Apple Varieties - Pome - simple accessory fruit
- Hundreds of varieties exist but only a few dominate the market
- Most apple trees are produced by grafting rather than by seeds
- Grafting creates thousands of identical copies with the desired traits
Citrus Fruits Citrus Fruits - Oranges - Members of the family Rutaceae
- Fruit is a hesperidium
- Rind impregnated with oil glands (oils important for perfumes and cosmetics)
- Individual carpels filled with one-celled juice sacs
- Fruits high in Vitamin C
Citrus Fruits - Most citrus are native to southeast Asia
- Citrons first citrus fruit introduced to Mediterranean countries during Greek and Roman times
- Sweet oranges not introduced till 16th century
Introduction to New World - Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced citrus to New World
- Sour oranges grown in Florida by 1565
- Sweet oranges introduced after 1821 - grafted onto sour orange rootstock
- Florida remains leading orange-producing state for juices
- Grapefruit developed in Caribbean (pummelo x orange)
Pummelos Navel Orange - Seedless orange - propagated asexually
- First developed in Brazil by an American missionary in 19th century
- Two seedlings introduced to California in 1873 - believed that all navel oranges today are descendants of these two trees
Chestnuts - Castanea dentata - Member of the Fagaceae - Oak Family
- Nuts have a long history of use
- Nuts produced in groups of 3 surrounded by spiny burr (actually bracts)
Individual
nuts
Spiny bracts
Chestnuts - American chestnut tree was once one of the most abundant trees in North American forests
- Wood widely used for furniture, shingles, poles, ships masts
Chestnut Blight - Fungal disease first reported in 1904 in New York
- Spread throughout range from Atlantic Coast to Mississippi River
- Estimated 1 billion chestnut trees died
- Chestnuts can resprout from roots but eventually will succumb to disease
- Research on blight resistant trees
Durian - Fruit native to southeast Asia, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia
- Called “King of Fruits”
Durians - Large fruits - 10-15 lbs
- Often collected from wild although cultivation is spreading
- Not available outside of Asia
- Custard-like pulp that is said to be heavenly
Durians - Said to be the most delicious fruit on Earth and the worst smelling
- Sold in open markets but prohibited in many cities
- “No durians allowed”
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