This year I spent quite a lot of time sorting through ALL of the seed saver exchange offers. Looking for things I found interesting, things that SSE was offering for many years but no one else was offering in the exchange, and a few other criteria.

During that hunt I came across and ordered a variety called "Loja Mulitocular". Loja translates to store, but the last word translates to nothing. Which made me wonder if it is possibly a misspelling that was provided to SSE. I was wondering if the word was intended to be Loja Multilocular. Meaning a multi lobed store fruit. Or possibly a long term storage fruit with multiple lobes?

SSE provided no information on the fruit, other than it being red in color.

Here is a link to the listing. It has been offered for quite a long time. I am trying to decide if I risk giving in a spot in the garden to find someone may have just donated a three locule red tomato they found at the store. My only hope in this department may be the store it was purchased in because the word Loja is Portuguese. It was first listed in the year 2000.

The tough choices we are left with when struggling with space for the 2025 gardening year on the horizon...

Provided Below is the link with the listing from SSE

https://exchange.seedsavers.org/listing ... 2760316331

Thank you,
Sam

They have offered this tomato for quite a few years now and do not say who the donar is, so they must be growing it themselves? I would try to email them and ask them about it. If they had no further information then I would either pass or it would go to the top of my grow list just so I could learn more.

I end up on so many interesting Google journeys because of this board.... It's possible they really do mean "multiocular," not multilocular. "Multiocular" refers to an archaic specific version of the Cyrillic letter "O" used in just one word in a single old manuscript -- the name of multi-eyed angels/seraphim. It looks like a bunch of frog eggs stuck together in the shape of an O.

You can get the dry details from Wikipedia or wherever, but here's someone's art version:

multicolor?

Also, Loja is a city and province in Ecuador, where scientists have done a lot of work in collecting wild tomato species/cultivars. I found this in an article called "Domestication and Breeding of Tomatoes: What have We Gained and What Can We Gain in the Future?"

In Loja province, Ecuador, a large collection of wild tomatoes of different species has been sampled and is currently being maintained by Dr Morales at the University of Loja (pers. comm.).

Seven Bends wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2024 9:57 am I end up on so many interesting Google journeys because of this board.... It's possible they really do mean "multiocular," not multilocular. "Multiocular" refers to an archaic specific version of the Cyrillic letter "O" used in just one word in a single old manuscript -- the name of multi-eyed angels/seraphim. It looks like a bunch of frog eggs stuck together in the shape of an O.

You can get the dry details from Wikipedia or wherever, but here's someone's art version:

I did see this information. It made me wonder if it is referring to a multifloral or the seed locules. LOL

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2024 7:36 am They have offered this tomato for quite a few years now and do not say who the donar is, so they must be growing it themselves? I would try to email them and ask them about it. If they had no further information then I would either pass or it would go to the top of my grow list just so I could learn more.

I am actually under the assumption that they may not know. According to the seed packet they shipped it has never been grown or germ tested and they sent a LOT of seeds due to their age.

~Sam