Solanum caripense 'Reptans'

Solanum caripense is a species of evergreen shrub native to South America and grown for its edible fruit. Rare in cultivation, it is known as tzimbalo. The fruit closely resembles the related pepino (Solanum muricatum), and it has been speculated that Solanum caripense may be the wild ancestor of the pepino. Like the pepino, the tzimbalo is a relative of other nightshades cultivated for their edible fruit, including the tomato (S. lycopersicum), the naranjilla (S. quitoense) and the eggplant (S. melongena). Solanum caripense is part of the Basarthrum clade within the broader Potato clade. The fruit is infrequently cultivated in its native range of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Chile but has been rediscovered on a small scale by heirloom gardeners elsewhere in the world.