>> Actually, so did everyone else. The two plants are remotely related
>> botanically. Most early European herbals listed tomatoes as a variety of
>
>Not so remote a connection--they belong to the same genus (Solanum).
>

Not quite. Eggplants and tomatoes are members of the Solanaceae family.
Lycopersicon (which includes only tomatoes) is a separate genus within the
family. This been debated for years and, alas, not all botanists agree (can you
imagine that?). Many botany books have it wrong.

See Charles Rick, "Biosystematic Studies in Lycopersicon and Closely Related
Species of Solanum," in J. G. Hawkes, R. N. Lester, and A. D. Skelding, eds.,
The Biology and Taxonomy of the Solanaceae (London: Academic Press, 1979),
667-77, and the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

Andy Smith

Andy Smith