Physalis latiphysa
Waterf.
Broadleaf Groundcherry
(c) corahildreth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) corahildreth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) corahildreth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Each fruit is naturally enclosed in its own papery calyx, protecting it from pests and the elements — this calyx is toxic and must not be eaten.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
North America, USA,
How to Identify
A frost-tender plant with hermaphrodite flowers pollinated by insects. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Grows in mildly acidic to basic soil but requires full sun and prefers moist conditions.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of this country. We are not sure if this species is an annual or perennial, but it should be possible to treat it as an annual, sowing the seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse and planting out after the last expected frosts. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in any well-drained soil in full sun or light shade.
Propagation: Sow seed in March or April in a greenhouse, barely covering it. Germination is usually quick and reliable; diurnal temperature fluctuations help. Prick seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil once large enough to handle, then plant out after the last expected frost, with cloche protection if needed until established. Divide plants in spring — larger divisions can go straight into their final positions, while smaller ones are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a cold frame until well rooted before planting out in late spring or early summer. For basal cuttings in early summer, take shoots with plenty of underground stem when they reach about 8–10cm above ground, pot individually, and keep in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until rooting well before planting out in summer.
Medicinal Uses
No medicinal uses are known.
Other Uses
No other uses are known.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Physalis latiphysa is a herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 30 to 45 cm. The shoot axis is densely hairy with multicellular, glandular trichomes. The leaves are silky and hairy, 5.5 to 16.0 cm long, with petioles 2.5 to 7.5 cm and leaf blades 3.0 to 8.5 cm. The leaf blade has a width of 1.5 to 7.0 cm, the tip is tapering, the base is blunt, rarely skewed by up to 3 mm. The leaf margin is entire or rarely serrated with up to four teeth per side. The flowers are on 4 to 11 mm long pedicels; the calyx has pointed calyx lobes, is glandular hairy and 2.2 to 2.5 mm long and 1.0 to 1.5 mm wide. The corolla is creamy yellow, each of the five fused petals has five dark blue markings on the inside, the corolla diameter is 3.5 to 4.0 mm. The stamens are hairy and colored blue, the anthers blue or mottled blue with a length of 1 mm. The flowering period is between July and September. When the fruit ripens, the stem lengthens to 1.8 to 2.0 cm, the calyx increases to 3 to 4 cm in length and a diameter of 2.5 to 3.5 mm, and is often as long as it is wide. The entire surface of the calyx is hairy glandular. The cross-section of the calyx is strongly pentagonal. The fruit is a spherical berry, 1.3 to 2.0 mm in diameter, non-sticky and containing numerous brown, granular seeds, 2.5 mm in diameter.
Notes
There are about 75-100 Physalis species.
References (1)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
