Physalis pubescens
L.
Downy ground-cherry, Goldenberry
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(c) Kinmatsu Lin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kinmatsu Lin
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit can be eaten raw or used in pies and preserves, offering a delicious bittersweet flavour. The fruit drops from the plant before fully ripening and should be left for a week or two until the husk has dried and the fruit has turned golden-yellow. When dried in sugar it is excellent in fruit cakes, with some cooks preferring it to raisins or figs. Each plant can yield up to 0.5 kilo of fruit. The berry is about 15mm in diameter and will keep for several weeks if left inside the calyx. Each fruit is naturally enclosed in a papery calyx that protects it from pests and the elements — this calyx is toxic and must not be eaten.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 1,300 m above sea level. It can tolerate some shade. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Amazon, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil*, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hispaniola, Honduras, Indochina, Jamaica, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Suriname, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Indies,
How to Identify
An annual herb. It grows 50-120 cm high. It is yellowish-green and has soft hairs. The leaves are simple and thin. The leaves are 2-6 cm long. The flowers occur singly. The flowers are yellow with purple-brown spots. There are several named cultivated varieties. The fruit are round and in a balloon like calyx. The fruit are orange. The pulp is sweet.
Nutrition Score: 39/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 82.1 | 234 | 56 | 0.9 | 3200 | 17.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
How to Grow
Succeeds in any well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Cultivated for its edible fruit in the Ukraine. There are some named varieties. 'Cossack Pineapple' has a small pineapple-flavoured fruit. 'Goldie' has medium-sized fruits that are borne prolifically on a well-branched plant.
Propagation: Sow seed in March or April in a greenhouse, barely covering it. Germination is typically quick and prolific. Diurnal temperature fluctuations assist germination. Once seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots of fairly rich soil and plant out after the last expected frosts, providing cloche protection until they are growing away well.
Medicinal Uses
The whole plant is antipyretic, depurative, diuretic, pectoral, and vermifuge. A decoction of the plant is used in the treatment of abscesses, coughs, fevers, and sore throat.
Other Uses
None known Special Uses Food Forest
Wikipedia
Source ↗Physalis pubescens is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by many common names, including husk tomato, low ground-cherry and hairy groundcherry in English, and muyaca and capulí in Spanish. It is native from Brazil, but also found in southern half of the United States, Mexico, Central and much of South America. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a weed. It can grow in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is an annual herb producing a glandular, densely hairy stem up to about 60 cm (24 in) in maximum height from a taproot. The oval or heart-shaped leaves are 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) long and have smooth or toothed edges. The flowers blooming from the leaf axils are bell-shaped and about a centimeter long. They are yellow with five dark spots in the throats, and have five stamens tipped with blue anthers. The five-lobed calyx of sepals at the base of the flower enlarges as the fruit develops, becoming an inflated, ribbed, lanternlike structure 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) long which contains the berry.
Other Information
It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 75-100 Physalis species.
Names & Synonyms
Camapu, Canapu, Capulin, Crapeaud pepper, Fisalis, Fislis, Goldenberry, Ground cherry, Hairy cherry, Husk-tomato, Jua-de-capote, Jua-poca, Miltomate, Muyaca, Naniyobo ahuka, Pap bush, Pororu wokuru, Shibero bime, Tomate, Uvilla, White crapeaud pepper, Yurankmis
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