Physalis alkekengi franchetii
| Physalis alkekengi | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Physalis alkekengi franchetii (common name: winter cherry)
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 in early summer. Diurnal temperature fluctuations assist germination[1].
Division in spring[2]. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Basal cuttings in early summer[2]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any well-drained soil in full sun or light shade[2][3].
The fully dormant plant is hardy in most of Britain, though the young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
A very ornamental plant[4] though it can be invasive[3]. This sub-species, which is sometimes treated as a separate species, is a more vigorous form of P. alkekengi with larger fruits[3].
Slugs are very fond of the new growth in spring and can destroy even quite large clumps[K].
Range: Asia - Caucasus to China. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Cultivated ground and vineyards[5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[4][6][7][8][9]. 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[10][11]. Rich in vitamins[12], with twice the vitamin C of lemons[13], but not much taste[14]. We have found them to be bitter and rather unpleasant[K].
Young leaves - cooked[9][1][13]. Caution is advised, the leaves are almost certainly poisonous, at least when raw.
Medicinal: The plant has a long history of herbal use, and an interesting chemistry, but it is seldom used in modern practice[15]. The whole plant is antiphlogistic, antipyretic, antitussive and expectorant[16][17][5][14][18]. An overdose of the plant is said to easily precipitate an abortion[18].
The fruit is aperient, strongly diuretic and lithontripic[7][8][16][18]. It is used internally in the treatment of gravel, suppression of urine etc and is highly recommended in fevers and in gout[7][15]. The fruit is harvested when fully ripe and can be used fresh, juiced or dried[15]. The calyx should be removed[15].
The leaves and stems are febrifuge and slightly tonic[7]. They are used in the treatment of the malaise that follows malaria, and for weak or anaemic people[7]. The fresh leaves have been used externally in the treatment of skin inflammations[15].
The seed is used to promote early labour[18].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fruit. It is used in the treatment of kidney and bladder disorders[16].
Usage: Plants spread rapidly by their roots and can be grown as a ground cover[19]. They are best spaced about 1 metre apart each way[19].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant, except the ripe fruit, are poisonous[20][11][15].
Also Known As: P. latifolia.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dremann, Craig. Ground Cherries, Husk Tomatoes and Tomatilloes. Redwood City Seed Company, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.