1. The tomato is the edible, red fruit of solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, solanaceae. 2. The piquant (spicy) varieties are commonly called chili peppers, or simply "chillies". The large, mild form is called red pepper, green pepper, or bell pepper in north america and united kingdom and typically "capsicum" in new zealand, australia, singapore and india.