Originally Posted by
Hobbit
Hi all here is another new addition to my garden this year. Im not sure that it is that unusual, but it definitely is interesting for me. Being a Solanaceae I was expecting it to get hit with the many problems solanaceae tend to have here in my sub tropical climate. This plant was in a pot for about 5 months b4 i gave it a home in the ground. the only problem i have had with it thus far is 3 old leaves yellowed and dropped. The little fruits besides being very interesting to stare at are delicious. I may grow two of these next year, although I am going to try this plant as a bi- annual. I have read that they can be prone to more dramas in the second year so im keen to see what happens there. This is an extremely pretty little plant with its little lanterns hanging from every axis.
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Physalis
Species: P. peruviana
Physalis peruviana is a plant species of the genus Physalis. It is originally from Peru. The plant and its fruit is known as uchuva (Colombia), Capuli (Peru) Cape gooseberry (South Africa, UK, Australia, New Zealand), Inca berry, Aztec berry, golden berry, giant ground cherry, African ground cherry, Peruvian groundcherry, Peruvian cherry, amour en cage (France, French for "love in a cage"), and sometimes simply Physalis (United Kingdom). It is indigenous to South America, but has been cultivated in England since the late 18th century and in South Africa in the region of the Cape of Good Hope since at least the start of the 19th century.
Physalis peruviana is closely related to the tomatillo and to the Chinese lantern, also members of the genus Physalis. As a member of the plant family Solanaceae, it is more distantly related to a large number of edible plants, including tomato, eggplant, potato and other members of the nightshades. Despite its name, it is not closely related to any of the cherry, Ribes gooseberry, Indian gooseberry, or Chinese gooseberry.
The fruit is a smooth berry, resembling a miniature, spherical, yellow tomato. Removed from its bladder-like calyx, it is about the size of a marble, about 1–2 cm in diameter. Like a tomato, it contains numerous small seeds. It is bright yellow to orange in color, and it is sweet when ripe, with a characteristic, mildly tart flavor, making it ideal for snacks, pies, or jams. It is relished in salads and fruit salads, sometimes combined with avocado. Also, because of the fruit's decorative appearance, it is popular in restaurants as an exotic garnish for desserts.
A prominent feature is the inflated, papery calyx enclosing each berry. The calyx is accrescent until the fruit is fully grown; at first it is of normal size, but after the petals fall it continues to grow until it forms a protective cover around the growing fruit. If the fruit is left inside the intact calyx husks, its shelf life at room temperature is about 30–45 days.
Geographic and cultivation origins
Native to high-altitude, tropical Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where the fruits grow wild, physalis is locally eaten and frequently sold in markets. Only recently has the plant become an important crop; it has been widely introduced into cultivation in other tropical, subtropical and even temperate areas.
The plant was grown by early settlers of the Cape of Good Hope before 1807. It is not clear whether it was grown there before its introduction to England, but sources since the mid-19th century attribute the common name, "Cape gooseberry" to this fact. A popular suggestion is that the name properly refers to the calyx surrounding the fruit like a cape. This seems however, to be an example of folk etymology or false etymology, because it does not appear in publications earlier than the mid 20th century.
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