The tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum, is a member of the family Solanaceae and it is a

herbaceous annual plant with bisexual flowers and the fruit is a true berry. It is a self
pollinated crop but cross pollination upto 30 % has been reported. According to the
growth habit Tomato plants have been categorized into two : indeterminate and
determinate types. He plant of former type terminates into a vegetative bud, whereas that
of the determinate type terminates in a flower bud and is appropriately called ‘ self
topping’ or ‘elf prunning’ type. Many varieties of determinate type tomato plants do not
have adequate foliage to protect their fruit. Some of them fruit very early. The
determinate varieties can be harvested in 2-3 harvests while the fruiting period of
indeterminate type is prolonged.

Tomato Flower Anatomy

Tomato plants have yellow flowers

that, in full bloom, are generally less
than an inch in diameter. The flowers
can occur in a simple or a complex
inflorescence. The diagram to the
right depicts a typical inflorescence.

There are different types of inflorescences. To the

right, two types have been shown. A raceme
inflorescence is one in which the flowers branch
off laterally from a main shoot that grows
indefinitely. In a cyme inflorescence, the shoot
apex differentiates into a flower, subsequent
growth occurs due to activity in an axillary branch
which will eventually terminate in a flower.

The tomato flower occurs in the three organizational patterns drawn

below. Simple flowers can appear as well as simple cymes and branched
cymes. The number of flowers that occur in an inflorescence is
dependent upon environmental factors such as temperature.
 Line drawings by David Van Tassel
If we take a look at a longitudinal section through a tomato flower we can see
that the tomato flower is organized in four whorls of organs which are labelled
below. The pedicel is the stem that supports the flower.

The outermost whorl

consists of the sepals.
Collectively, the sepals
are called the calyx.

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 The next whorl, the
bright yellow petals,
serves to attract
pollinators. Together,
the petals are called the
corolla.

The male reproductive organs, the

stamens, which house pollen
production, sit inside the petals. A
single tomato stamen consists of two
elongated compartments. The individual
stamens are fused together to form a
yellow cylinder that surrounds the
carpels.

The tomato carpels are green. They vary

in number from cultivar to cultivar, but
they are invariably fused together into a
single bulb-like structure. The number of
carpels in the tomato flower corresponds
to the number of locules found in the
fruits. The carpels are where fertilization
takes place. The ovules which will
develop into seeds are protected in the
carpel.

Cole crops are in the Brassicaceae family, formerly called Cruciferae, and many are in
the species Brassica oleracea. All cole crops are interfertile (i.e., they can be crossed) and
many are self-incompatible (i.e., flowers cannot be fertilized by pollen from the same
plant). These characteristics have made it easy to select for new types of cole crops. Self-
incompatibility also makes hybrid seed production economical.

Because of their vigorous growth, uniformity of maturation and disease resistances,

hybrids are preferred by most growers over the older open-pollinated cultivars. The plant
parts eaten differ between the various cole crops more than in any other group of
vegetables. In kale and cabbage, leaves are eaten; in broccoli, the green buds and fleshy
flower stalks; in cauliflower, the thick flower stalks making up the round, white head or
curd; in Brussels sprouts, the axillary bud; in kohlrabi; the swollen leaf base.

The cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea L. (Capitata Group) of
the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae), and is used as a leafy green vegetable. It is a
herbaceous, biennial, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon
which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish,
which while immature form a characteristic compact, globular cluster (cabbagehead). The
plant is also called head cabbage or heading cabbage, and in Scotland a bowkail, from its
rounded shape. The Scots call its stalk a castock, and the British occasionally call its head
a loaf .

Cabbage stems are unbranched and grow upward very little before expanding in diameter
without further growth in length. The first leaves unfold normally to form what is called
the frame. Leaves produced later only unfold partially. The inner leaves are then enclosed
and can't expand. They will form a solid head as they develop, but if the plants grow too
rapidly, or produce a flower stalk, the pressure of the inner leaves against the outer can
split the head wide open.
Botany of Cauliflower :

Cauliflower and broccoli are the same species and have very similar structures, though
cauliflower replaces the green flower buds with white inflorescence meristem.

Botany of Cauliflower

There are four major groups of cauliflower.

1. Italian. Diverse appearance, biennial and annual types. Includes white,

Romanesco, various green, purple, brown and yellow cultivars. This type
is the ancestral form from which the others were derived.
2. Northwest European biennial. Used in Europe for winter and early
spring harvest. Developed in France in the 19th century. Includes the old
cultivars Roscoff and Angers.
3. Northern European annuals. Used in Europe and North America for
summer and fall harvest. Developed in Germany in the 18th century.
Includes old cultivars Erfurt and Snowball.
4. Asian. Tropical cauliflower used in China and India. Developed in India
during the 19th century from the now-abandoned Cornish type. Includes
old varieties Early Patna and Early Benaras.