name: Groundcherry
flavor_db_name_variants: groundcherry
source: foodb
status: draft
food_db_id: Groundcherry
id: 371
name_scientific: Physalis
description: Physalis is a genus of plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of the world. All but one species are native to the New World, and most species occur in Mexico in particular. At least 46 species are endemic to the country. The genus is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx. Many Physalis species are called groundcherries. One name for Physalis peruviana is Cape gooseberry, not to be confused with the true gooseberries, which are of the genus Ribes in the family Grossulariaceae. They are herbaceous plants growing to 0.4 to 3 m tall, similar to the common tomato, a plant of the same family, but usually with a stiffer, more upright stem. They can be either annual or perennial. Most require full sun and fairly warm to hot temperatures. Some species are sensitive to frost, but others, such as the Chinese lantern, P. alkekengi, tolerate severe cold when dormant in winter.
itis_id: 30587
wikipedia_id: Groundcherry
picture_file_name: 376.jpg
picture_content_type: image/jpeg
picture_file_size: 100723
picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:35:52.000Z
legacy_id: 403
food_group: Vegetables
food_subgroup: Fruit vegetables
food_type: Type 1
created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:38.000Z
updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:23.000Z
creator_id: null
updater_id: null
export_to_afcdb: false
category: specific
ncbi_taxonomy_id: 24663
export_to_foodb: true
public_id: FOOD00371