Beginning of Essay
The tomato and its close relatives are believed to have originated in the mountainous regions of the Andes (Peru, Ecuador and Chile). Other distinct relatives are found among the flora of the Galapagos Islands. These relatives can be found in many environments, fr ....

Middle of Essay
.... various weeds (nightshades, jimson weed). It may have been this association with the nightshades which originally led people to believe the tomato to be poisionous. It was therefore fortunate that Miller changed the species name to esculentum which roughly means "edible". The common cultivated tomato belongs to the genus Lycopersicon. This genus exhibits a vast reservoir of genetic variability which remains largely underexploited. Some disease resistance, which is now a part of most commercially available cultivars, has been derived from related species of Lycopersicon. However, these other species may provide other potential benefits such as heat ....