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Physalis pubescens
Also called Ground Cherry, Low Ground Cherry, Downy Ground Cherry, Strawberry Tomato, Low Hairy Ground Cherry, Groundcherry
Physalis pubescens is an annual herb in the nightshade family, grown for its sweet, papery-husked yellow berries that ripen after they drop. It grows well in full sun with regular watering and warm conditions.
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 fruits can be harvested and ripened for a few weeks to be made into pie or jelly; unripe fruits and green parts of the plant are somewhat poisonous.
Members of the Toba-Pilagá culture of Gran Chaco consume the fruit raw. Toba-Pilagá children burst the fruits of Physalis pubescens var. hygrophila (Mart.) Dunal (a synonym of Physalis pubescens) when they are covered by the inflated calyx by placing it on the palm of the hand and striking it with the other hand in order to make noises as part of games.
Cutleaf groundcherry · Southwestern groundcherry · Cotztomatl · Strawberry-tomato · Ivyleaf groundcherry · Longleaf groundcherry · Physalis nicandroides · Peruvian groundcherry · Tomatillo · Husk Tomato · Starhair groundcherry · Groundcherry
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Physalis pubescens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
