The Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., Solanaceae) and Its Botanical Relatives

Abstract

The cultivated tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L., is a member of the small section Lycopersicon along with its 12 wild relatives. An additional four species from sections Juglandifolia and Lycopersicoides are traditionally considered as tomato wild relatives. These species are all endemic to South America, but the cultivated tomato itself has achieved worldwide distribution with the help of human populations. Tomato and its wild relatives are part of a larger monophyletic group (the Potato clade) that also contains the potatoes and their wild relatives. Here we review the taxonomic and phylogenetic history, relationships and species-level taxonomy of the cultivated tomato and its wild relatives, and highlight important studies of diversity that remain to be undertaken in the group, especially in light of global environmental and climatic change.