tomatillo

(pronounced "toe-mah-TEE-yo"),


The tomatillo is a plant of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillo plants are highly self-incompatible (two or more plants are needed for proper pollination, thus isolated tomatillo plants rarely set fruits). The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple