''Solanum galapagense'' is a wild tomato in the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

section Lycopersicum and is one of two tomato species endemic to the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...

, 500 miles west of

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. It was at these islands where

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

noted the structural difference between local finches,

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...

s, and

barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in eros ...

s, leading him to identify

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...

as a possible source of the origin of species. He also collected plant specimens extensively. The species occurs mostly on coastal lava within range of sea spray, to within one meter of the high tide mark. It is strongly salt tolerant. Its range can also extend inland, such as on the volcanic slopes of the islands of Isabela and Fernandina. ''Solanum galapagense'' and the similar ''

Solanum cheesmaniae ''Solanum cheesmaniae'', is one of two main species of wild tomatoes found on the Galápagos Islands. This species is the one most commonly called the Galapagos tomato. It is a wild tomato that evolved on the famous Galapagos Islands, the place ...

'' are recognized as distinct species,Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Two Tomato Species from the Galapagos Islands
/ref> although ''S. cheesmanii'' is the one most commonly called the Galapagos tomato. The fruit of ''S. galapagense'' are smaller and hairier, with a distinct orange color. The foliage of ''S. galapagense'' is also more bushy and smelly.

References

galapagense Endemic flora of Ecuador Endemic flora of Galápagos {{Solanales-stub