Folks are getting both PL and RL plants for this variety. The original source only refers to leaf form indirectly by comparing it with another variety and then says that that variety is RL implying that Amazon Chocolate is PL but never says so directly.

Of those listing it in the SSE Yearbook some get PL and some get RL. If you Google it you also see that some get PL and some get RL.

I've linked below to Tania's Tomato data base and she says the same and goes a bit further saying that in addition to genetic instability with leaf form, my words, there are variations in fruit size as well.

So it would seem, as Tania also points out, that this variety is not genetcially stable.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon Chocolate

My Amazon Chocolate came up 100% regular leaf (RL) this year. I always plant several seeds rather than just a few so that when something unexpected happens, I have a lot of seedlings from which I can cull the off types.

I've also planted Amazon Chocolate and all of my seedlings are potato leafed.

Cindy

Thanks, Carolyn. Those links were quite useful! I've squeezed in one more container (I'm really at the limit now - LOL!) and will grow both the PL and RL and and see how they do. -JoAnne

I planted two this year and had one of each come up. I figured it was a seed mix-up, but after reading this information that Carolyn had posted before, I realized it was probably the same variety. I also learned not to order from this particular person anymore.

I planted around 20 amazon chocolate plants from the Amish seeds I ordered in December 2011 and it wasn't untill the tomatoes ripened that I thought I had miss planted. Some of my Amazon Chocolates were potato leafed and some were regular. It was probably 1/3 to 1/4 that were potato leaf.
Mega producer they were. Big Beefs were almost as plolific. I'm in Houston Texas area. I still have 12 amazons left. I riped up the rest and am going to try and grow 120 Amazon Chocolates next year and sell to restaurants next year, just to see if I can. This is the best tomato I have ever eaten.

And when you have both RL and PL plants of the same variety you can't conclude that they are identical except for leaf form since there's more than one way that such changes can occur that can involve MORE than one gene, in this instance a gene for leaf form.

Carolyn

Its January and I have a little over 200 Amazon Chocolate seedlings from Trade Winds. I seem to remember from last year that I got (had 24 Amazon Chocolate last year) 3 different kinds of tomatoes from these plants. I think the potato leaf ones produced the smaller 6-8oz size, the regular leaf I think had the bigger 1lb size. I did notice that I had the kinda lumpy tomatoes and some real nice beef stake looking tomatoes. These tomatoes look like and are compared to the black krim, Cherokee purple, and black brandy wine. I know they're supposedly from the Ukraine, but I wonder if someone came up with a hybrid. If they did its an awesome tomato. The disease resistance was the best of 14 other tomato plants and the most prolific.

If my plans work to sell to upscale restaurants then I will put in a summer crop. My garden is designer for 180 plants. I was wondering if I choose the tomatoes that are the large beef stake looking ones and use those seeds, weather on not its potato leaf, wouldn't I be more likely to get more of those type of tomatoes from my summer crop? I realize there will be some cross pollination, so I will hopefully pick plants that are surrounded by the same type of tomato?