Fruit shape

Sherry_AK · July 17, 2008

Seems like a long time ago someone posted an excellent description of the various tomato shapes, maybe with illustrations, or else a link to the information. I've searched and cannot find it. Am I dreaming?

Thanks.

Sherry

**carolyn137** · July 18, 2008

Sherry, I don't remember anyone posting about tomato shapes.

As far as I'm concerned the various tomato varieties illustrate the genetic diversity of tomatoes and can exhibit an almost infinite number of shapes for different varieties.

But maybe if you indicated what you want to know about shapes someone could help. Is it for a specific variety, or can more than one shape be on a plant at the same time, or can environmental conditions change the shape of fruits, etc.

akgardengirl · July 18, 2008

I do remember some hand drawn pictures of the general shapes of tomatoes. Seems like it was from last year. Maybe from "darch"?
Sue

Sherry_AK · July 18, 2008

Carolyn -- There isn't a particular case at hand; I'm just trying to make my notes as accurate as possible. Seems like the posting described and/or pictured, for instance, "globe" shape, "round" shape, "egg" shape, etc. I guess in my mind at the moment I don't know what would be the difference between "globe" and "round" now that I'm typing this out. (Although that isn't what made me inquire!)

Sue -- I'm glad you remember too! Maybe someone can point it out for us. At the time I thought it quite useful as a reference.

Thanks!

Sherry

neoguy · July 18, 2008

I believe this is the link.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...olor#post89792

**carolyn137** · July 18, 2008

Sherry, I do understand what you mean but there really is no acceepted terminology for describing fruit shape.

I did read thru the link and what they were trying to do was to standardize terms for fruit shapes for the Dwarf Project and Dwarfs at this point don't even have the diversity of fruit shapes that one can find with so many other types of varieties.

Any of us who are SSE members can read the fruit shape desriptions in the YEarbook and they are all over the lot, sometimes, for even a single variety, although all might describe what the true shape is.

So when I'm writing blurbs for tomato varieties I don't have any standardized vocabulary b'c one quickly runs short on trying to accurately describe a particular shape.

Does round equal globe? Most of the time, but few fruits are really actually globe shaped and many have just a slight flattened area at the stem end and folks will use the words flattened or oblate, which I prefer, to descibe that.

It's something I just don't worry about at all, that is, the verbiage used to describe shape.

That sketch that was shown by Jeff showed I think maybe 10 different shapes and someone's idea of what they should be called, but 10 named shapes will never cover the range of shapes that one can see with different varieties.

Just my opinion.

Sherry_AK · July 18, 2008

Thanks, Carolyn. I appreciate your comments (as always!). And I do know what you mean about the SSE yearbook. So true!

Sherry

peispud · July 18, 2008

http://tomatosite.com/index.php?PR=_...e_Longitudinal

Sherry_AK · July 18, 2008

Bless you, Peter!

It was really, really bugging me that I couldn't find it.
Thanks!

Sherry

**carolyn137** · July 18, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherry_AK

Bless you, Peter!

It was really, really bugging me that I couldn't find it.
Thanks!

Sherry

Sherry, what Peter showed was also included in the link above that neo linked to. Just thought I'd mention that since you said that you couldn't find it.

Sherry_AK · July 19, 2008

Well, heck, I did not even see the post from neo! Looks like we posted at about the same time ... but I truly did miss it.

Many thanks to neo also!

Sherry

July 17, 2008	#1
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	Fruit shape Seems like a long time ago someone posted an excellent description of the various tomato shapes, maybe with illustrations, or else a link to the information. I've searched and cannot find it. Am I dreaming? Thanks. Sherry

July 18, 2008	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Sherry, I don't remember anyone posting about tomato shapes. As far as I'm concerned the various tomato varieties illustrate the genetic diversity of tomatoes and can exhibit an almost infinite number of shapes for different varieties. But maybe if you indicated what you want to know about shapes someone could help. Is it for a specific variety, or can more than one shape be on a plant at the same time, or can environmental conditions change the shape of fruits, etc. __________________ Carolyn

July 18, 2008	#4
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	Carolyn -- There isn't a particular case at hand; I'm just trying to make my notes as accurate as possible. Seems like the posting described and/or pictured, for instance, "globe" shape, "round" shape, "egg" shape, etc. I guess in my mind at the moment I don't know what would be the difference between "globe" and "round" now that I'm typing this out. (Although that isn't what made me inquire!) Sue -- I'm glad you remember too! Maybe someone can point it out for us. At the time I thought it quite useful as a reference. Thanks! Sherry Last edited by Sherry_AK; July 18, 2008 at 11:18 AM. Reason: typo

July 18, 2008	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Sherry, I do understand what you mean but there really is no acceepted terminology for describing fruit shape. I did read thru the link and what they were trying to do was to standardize terms for fruit shapes for the Dwarf Project and Dwarfs at this point don't even have the diversity of fruit shapes that one can find with so many other types of varieties. Any of us who are SSE members can read the fruit shape desriptions in the YEarbook and they are all over the lot, sometimes, for even a single variety, although all might describe what the true shape is. So when I'm writing blurbs for tomato varieties I don't have any standardized vocabulary b'c one quickly runs short on trying to accurately describe a particular shape. Does round equal globe? Most of the time, but few fruits are really actually globe shaped and many have just a slight flattened area at the stem end and folks will use the words flattened or oblate, which I prefer, to descibe that. It's something I just don't worry about at all, that is, the verbiage used to describe shape. That sketch that was shown by Jeff showed I think maybe 10 different shapes and someone's idea of what they should be called, but 10 named shapes will never cover the range of shapes that one can see with different varieties. Just my opinion. __________________ Carolyn

July 18, 2008	#3
akgardengirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anchorage, AK zone 3/4 Posts: 1,410	I do remember some hand drawn pictures of the general shapes of tomatoes. Seems like it was from last year. Maybe from "darch"? Sue

July 18, 2008	#5
neoguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 610	I believe this is the link. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...olor#post89792

July 18, 2008	#8
peispud Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 180	http://tomatosite.com/index.php?PR=_...e_Longitudinal

July 19, 2008	#11
Sherry_AK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Alaska Zone 3/4 Posts: 1,857	Well, heck, I did not even see the post from neo! Looks like we posted at about the same time ... but I truly did miss it. Many thanks to neo also! Sherry