Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 7b/8a Experience)
Bought this variety locally here.
Photos across the internet are all over the map, pitch black, lilac, burgundy. Ours threw a completely different coloration. Seems this variety started circulating before it was actually stabilized.
The plant stays compact, up to 3.3 ft (1 m) tall, with simple flower trusses. Little cherries weigh 0.2-0.3 oz (5-8 g) and pull clean from the stem without tearing or splitting around the calyx.
New shoots and young foliage start with dark anthocyanin pigmentation, then lighten up as the vine grows. On the immature green fruit, you can see distinct dark striping and blush.
Flavor is strictly run-of-the-mill. Mid-season maturity. The only real selling point for us was the coloration of the fruit, though the camera failed to capture just how vivid the paint job looked in person.
In the photos, you can see ripe little Lilac Gems plated alongside Scarlet Candles (Alye Svechi), Auria, and Pink Vernissage (Rozovyi Vernisazh).
Edited February 13, 2018 by Drosera
Full Summary: Growth Habit, Appearance & Quality
- 🌿 Plant Stature: Semi-determinate or compact indeterminate habit topping out around 3.3 ft (1 m). Shows pronounced anthocyanin pigmentation in the stems and young leaves, fading to deep green as the plant matures. Suitable for patio containers and modest garden beds.
- 🍅 Fruit Size & Form: Miniature cherry tomatoes averaging 0.2-0.3 oz (5-8 g). Unripe fruit display dark purple-black striping over green. Ripe fruit feature a multi-hued lilac, dusky-burgundy finish with dark antho caps. Separates smoothly from the stem with zero skin tearing.
- 🧬 Genetic Stability: Exhibited noticeable variability in color across European seed networks, consistent with an early-generation (F4-F6) release rather than a fully locked-down open-pollinated heirloom.
- 👅 Flavor Profile: Mild and average. Lacks the sharp brix or concentrated sweetness found in premier cocktail cherries like Sun Gold or Black Cherry. Primary appeal lies in its ornamental appearance on harvest platters.
- 🌎 Growing Region: Observed in the temperate maritime border region of Western Europe (Germany/Luxembourg/France, USDA Zone 7b/8a).
The grower’s observation that Lilac Gem “went circulating before being stabilized” highlights a frequent issue with novelty anthocyanin varieties bred during the mid-2010s boom. Many hobby breeders released crosses early in their development (often at F3-F5 generations). Without multiple generations of single-plant selection, these lines regularly segregate into an array of phenotypes ranging from solid black to striped purple, depending on seed stock and local ultraviolet exposure.
The other varieties shown in the grower’s harvest photo are well-known Eastern European novelties: Auria (the famous highly elongated paste tomato with a bifurcated tip, often known in the West as Manly or Eros), Alye Svechi (Scarlet Candles, a pointed Ukrainian pink-red canning paste), and Rozovyi Vernisazh (Pink Vernissage, a striped cocktail tomato bred by Ruslan Dukhov).
