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). 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. A flower and the fruit of S. caripense
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Solanum caripense has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens2
Marker genes2
eDNA detections2
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★ITS★ITS2
fungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB · TreeOfSex
The complete instruction manualSolanum caripense carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Chromosomes2n = 24 n = 12
Ploidydiploid inferred
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy84% within 1 km
≤100 m 36≤1 km 17≤10 km 10
63 georeferenced · 111 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor174
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy35% within 1 km
≤100 m 2≤1 km 70≤10 km 126>10 km 9
207 georeferenced · 408 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence615
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy0% within 1 km
≤10 km 1
1 georeferenced · 2 without coordinates
Open the mapnot free-living3
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions30 of 56 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Saint Louis, US
112
Bronx, US
60
Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA)location not on record
42
Bloomington, US
40
Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL)location not on record
37
South Kensington, GB
35
Chicago, US
30
Xiamen, CN
29
Aarhus, DK
21
Universidad de Nariño (UdeNar)location not on record
18
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
14
Loja, EC
14
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH)location not on record
12
Quito, EC
12
Universidad de La Salle (La Salle)location not on record
11
Universidad de Caldas (UCaldas)location not on record
10
Kew, GB
9
QCNElocation not on record
7
Riobamba, EC
7
Elocation not on record
5
National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Ricalocation not on record
5
Edinburgh, GB
5
Auckland, NZ
3
BMlocation not on record
3
Jardín Botánico José Celestino Mutis (JBBJCM)location not on record
3
Göteborg, SE
3
Davis, US
2
HUAlocation not on record
2
Paris, FR
2
Mexico City, MX
2
San José, CR
2
Dublin, IE
1
Universiti Sains Malaysialocation not on record
1
Altos de Pipe, VE
1
HUT Culture Collectionlocation not on record
1
Fundación Jardín Botánico Joaquín Antonio Uribe de Medellínlocation not on record
1
Herbario Selva Central Oxapampa - estación biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missourilocation not on record
1
Arequipa, PE
1
Cincinnati, US
1
MAlocation not on record
1
Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS)location not on record
1
Corrientes, AR
1
Cenit Transporte y Logística de Hidrocarburos S.A.S. (CENIT)location not on record
1
GB
1
MYlocation not on record
1
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
1
Iquitos, PE
1
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)location not on record
1
arosemena tola, EC
1
Porto Alegre, BR
1
Austin, US
1
INBIOlocation not on record
1
CJBGlocation not on record
1
Cuenca, EC
1
Universidad Católica de Oriente (UCO)location not on record
1
Tampa, US
1
56 institutions · 582 of 615 vouchered records shown · 33 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA2 detections
Where the DNA of Solanum caripense was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found2
Studies independent surveys1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 2 detections have coordinates
Open the map0 countries0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation4 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility842 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI2 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics2 specimens↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Tree of SexTree of Sex Consortiumgenome & karyotype↗