Wild growing Physalis species

[Zen Peddler]

I found an obscure physalis species that resembled a cape gooseberry plant growing by a stream in the Dandenong Ranges. The husks are more sharply shaped and the flowers look identical to cape gooseberries.

Any ideas what it might be and whether I can munch on the ripe cherries? its very tall - about a metre high which is unusual for the genus

[planthelper]

it's probably just normal cape gooseberry, they grow wild at many places in australia, it's not uncommon for them to get very big and sometimes 1metre or more tall (although they are sort of crawlers).

the eatable physalis species all look yummy, the others not realy.

just eat one fresh fruit, if it's yummy and only slightly bitter than it's probably physalis peruviana.

if it taste's very bitter and yuk, than it's a non food physalis, easy as that.

bird's carry and sow out physalis seeds everywher.

[inpsyght]

i found that cape gooseberry will stay as a smaller plant in full sun

but in semi shade they get taller (6ft in my exp.) and a bit leggy till the branch topples over,

at which point it'll root at the node and send up new shoots, very sprawly.

fruit size, husk shape and taste qualities can vary quite a bit just off the one plant.

[tripsis]

I love Cape Gooseberries. They grow wild in one location near me and get massive, well over a metre is spread and height.

[dworx]

Well I haven't seen any up here - we used to eat them in Yamba and down at beramgui, wallaga lakes as kids. Does anyone hae seed they can send me??

[tripsis]

I can check the local plants to see if they are fruiting in a couple of weeks if you like dworx.

[Zen Peddler]

ive got about twenty small ones and I can definately get seeds if your keen. This one kinda looked very different and it was heaps bigger than mine - it is growing in shade so that might explain the size. Also looks kinda scanky - leaves arent as pretty as the regular ones I have. Flowers are the same though so Im guessing its probably just a cape gooseberry bush. thanks!!!

[planthelper]

maybe i'm biased towards this plant, but for me cape gooseberry fruits, can help when one goes thru withdrawl,

and there are some slight comfort producing effects for me when i eat this fruit.

a similar thing happend for me when i was still a tabacco smoker, eating heaps of passionfruits, would help a bit to keep the nicotin cravings down.

the physalis was one of my first solanum loves, but if you like physalis, you would like, solanum quitoense, tomatilo and tamarillo aswell. even some solanum muricatum taste quite good.

quitoense sab thread:

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=16161&st=0&p=155708&hl=+solanum%20+quitoense&fromsearch=1entry155708

[Zen Peddler]

Yeah i love tomatillos = ive got shit loads in my vegie patch. Man they fruit fast!

[ferret]

hey mate, P. viscosa, P. peruviana, are the most commonly encountered spp in Vic. Also some P. lanceifolia, P. longifolia also recorded. If they look like P. peruviana they prob are??

bring me some tomatillos! my f@#$ing new housemate 'weeded' out my plants just as they were starting fruiting, 2 weeks after i pointed them out to him as "not weeds"!

[Zen Peddler]

Im hoping mine are still there. We got 170 mms rain in the last 32 hours and my driveway, half my backyard and part of my vegie patch got taken down the river by an absolute shit load of water that ran through our place. The creek out front was like the yarra. Never seen anything like it mate, our street was a river. Ive got shoes from houses two rows up behind us on the hill that went down our bkacyard, under our house and out front. cleanups gonna suck major balls.

I think the tomatillos looked alright though.