The question of whether tomatoes grow on trees is common, often fueled by the tomato’s ambiguous status as both a culinary vegetable and a botanical fruit. The confusion extends past its classification into how it actually grows. The short answer is that the common garden tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, does not grow on a tree. Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family and are cultivated globally for their edible berries, which is the botanical term for the fruit. The perception that a tomato plant might be a tree stems from its potential height and the way it is often supported in gardens.
The True Plant Type
The species known as the common tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, is botanically defined as an herbaceous plant. This classification means its stems are soft and green, lacking the hard, woody tissue that defines a true tree or shrub. While the plant is typically grown as an annual, meaning it completes its life cycle in a single season, it is technically a tender perennial in its native tropical or subtropical climates, surviving for multiple years if not killed by frost. The plant’s structure is typically sprawling or climbing, reaching heights of three to six feet, depending on the variety.
The soft stem tissue is prone to breaking, especially when carrying a heavy load of developing fruit. This lack of a lignified, self-supporting trunk confirms the tomato plant is not a tree. Even in climates where the tomato plant lives for more than one season, the stem tissue remains soft and green. This growth habit is characteristic of an herb, not a woody perennial.
Why Tomato Plants Are Mistaken for Trees
The primary reason for the tree-like misconception is the growth habit of certain varieties, specifically “indeterminate” tomatoes. Indeterminate varieties possess a vining growth habit and continue to grow and produce fruit until the plant is killed by frost. These vines can reach impressive heights, often six to twelve feet, and some have been recorded as tall as 20 feet.
Gardeners must use support structures like stakes, cages, or trellises to manage this continuous, upward growth. This human intervention forces the flexible vine into a vertical, upright form, mimicking the appearance of a small tree with a slender trunk. Determinate varieties, which are shorter and bushier, typically grow only three to four feet tall. The visual presence of a tall, supported central stalk is what misleads many into believing the plant is a woody specimen.
Addressing the “Tree Tomato” Misnomer
A significant source of confusion is the existence of a separate, related species commonly called the “Tree Tomato.” This plant is known scientifically as Solanum betaceum or Tamarillo. While the common tomato and the Tamarillo both belong to the Solanaceae family, they are distinct species with different growth habits.
The Tamarillo is classified as a small, fast-growing shrub or small tree that can reach up to 16 feet (5 meters) in height. Its stem is semi-woody, meaning it develops the hard, lignin-based structure required for self-support, unlike the common tomato. The Tamarillo is genuinely a tree or shrub, but it produces a fruit that is not the Solanum lycopersicum found in most gardens.