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Peruvian Groundcherry

Physalis peruviana

INDEX

flora

Peruvian Groundcherry
Species Description

Native to Chile and Peru. Within that region it is called aguaymanto, uvilla or uchuva, in addition to numerous indigenous and regional names.

The flowers are bisexual and actinomorphic or only slightly zygomorphic. The hermaphrodite flowers are bell-shaped and drooping, 15–20 mm (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) across, yellow with purple-brown spots internally. After the flower falls, the calyx expands, ultimately forming a beige husk fully enclosing the fruit.

The fruit is a round, smooth berry, resembling a miniature yellow tomato 1.25–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) wide. Removed from its calyx, it is bright yellow to orange in color, and sweet when ripe, with a characteristic, mildly tart grape-like flavor.

Species Details

FAMILY

Solanaceae

GENUS

Solanaceae

SIZE

Shrub reaches 1.6 meters in height

LIFE SPAN

An annual in temperate locations, but a perennial in the tropics.

HEMISPHERE

Southern

ECOSYSTEM

It grows in forests, forest edges, and riparian areas. It grows at high elevations of 500–3,000 m (1,600–9,800 ft) in its native region, but may also be found at sea level in Oceania and Pacific islands where it occurs widely in subtropical and warm, temperate conditions.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis_peruviana

Images by Ivar Leidus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=96775293

Vinayaraj - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55798471

Frank C. Müller, Baden-Baden - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2345416

mw - von mir fotografiert --mw 11:03, 3. Dez 2004 (CET), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23986893

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