Claim: Solanum caripense performs best in a warm, relatively frost-free climate, and has round, edible berries, which closely resemble the related pepino (Solanum muricatum), known as pepino dulce or "tree melon".
Evidence: Like the pepino, the tzimbalo performs best in a warm, relatively frost-free climates. The fruits are round berries, to 2 cm in size, which ripen to yellow or pale green, with dark-colored longitudinal stripes. Solanum caripense is a species of evergreen shrub native to South America and grown for its edible fruit. The fruit closely resembles the related pepino (Solanum muricatum), and it has been speculated that Solanum caripense may be the wild ancestor of the pepino. The pepino dulce fruit resembles a melon (Cucumis melo) in color, and its flavor recalls a succulent mixture of honeydew and cucumber, and thus it is also sometimes called pepino melon or melon pear. Another common name, "tree melon", is more often used for the papaya (Carica papaya) though the pepino dulce plant generally does not look much like a tree; it looks more like a ground cover, trailing plant.