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Physalis pubescens

Common name:	Ground Cherry	Family:	Solanaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	170
Synonyms:	Physalis floridana (Rydb.), Physalis barbadensis (Jacq.)
Known Hazards:	Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where many of the members have poisonous leaves and stems, though the full ripe fruits are usually edible[19, 65].
Range:	N. America - Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio. Indiana and southwards.
Habitat:	Damp to dry open woods, sand dunes and disturbed soil[43]
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. grisea[B,C,CAL,G,P] P. pruinosa[G] P. pubescens var. grisea[B,G,P] P. pubescens var. pubescens[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Husk Tomato [P], Husk-tomato [B], Winter Cherry [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	pubescens = becoming hairy
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Solanales. Potato family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Venezuela Wi

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.45m. It is hardy to zone 7. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Cultivar 'Cossack Pineapple': Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Goldie': Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Pineapple Cherry': Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, preserves etc[62, 85, 132, 183]. A delicious bitter sweet flavour. The fruit falls from the plant before it is fully ripe and should be left for a week or two until the husk has dried and the fruit has turned a golden-yellow[207]. Delightful when fully ripe[102]. When dried in sugar, the fruit is excellent in fruit cakes, some cooks preferring them to raisins or figs[183]. Yields up to 0.5 kilo per plant[170]. The plant conveniently wraps up each fruit in its own 'paper bag' (botanically, the calyx) to protect it from pests and the elements. This calyx is toxic and should not be eaten. The fruit will store for several weeks if left in the calyx[207]. The fruit is a berry about 15mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antipyretic Depurative Diuretic Pectoral Vermifuge.

The whole plant is antipyretic, depurative, diuretic, pectoral, vermifuge[147]. A decoction is used in the treatment of abscesses, coughs, fevers, sore throat etc[147, 218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[200].
Cultivated for its edible fruit in the Ukraine[50]. There are some named varieties[200]. 'Cossack Pineapple' has a small pineapple-flavoured fruit[200]. 'Goldie' has medium-sized fruits that are borne prolifically on a well-branched plant[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse only just covering the seed. Germination usually takes place quickly and freely. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well. Diurnal temperature fluctuations assist germination[170].

Cultivars

'Pineapple Cherry': The small sweet fruit has the flavour of pineapples[183]. It becomes sweeter each day after the first frost[183]. A very easily grown plant, it does well in poor soils[183]. The fruit ripens within 75 days from sowing the seed[183].
'Improved Yellow': The small yellow fruit ripens in 70 days from sowing the seed[183]. If left in the husks, the fruit will store for several weeks[183].
'Goldie': This cultivar has medium-sized fruits that are borne prolifically on a well-branched plant[200]. The fruits have a clean sweet flavour when fully ripe[183]. The fruit is slightly larger than 'Cossack Pineapple', averaging about 7mm in diameter[183]. A prolific plant, bearing fruits until killed by frosts[183].
'Cossack Pineapple': The small yellow fruits are about 12mm in diameter, they have an excellent flavour reminiscent of a sweet pineapple[183, 200]. Excellent for preserves, hot dessert toppings, salads or mock pineapple yoghourt[183]. A short bushy spreading plant reaching a height of 30 - 45cm[183]. The fruit ripens within 60 days from sowing[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Physalis grisea (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Physalis pubescens var. pubescens (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Solanaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[170] Dremann. C. G. Ground Cherries, Husk Tomatoes and Tomatilloes. Redwood City Seed Co 1985 ISBN 0-933421-03-6
Only a small booklet but it covers the various species in some depth.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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