| Author | Content |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 24, 2008
12:16 AM Post #5310694
| Three of these sprouted in my veggie bed. They have yellow flowers. Any ideas? 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 24, 2008
12:16 AM Post #5310697
| The flowers: 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
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ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
July 24, 2008
12:18 AM Post #5310705
| I'm not really up on all my veggies, but it kind of looks like something along the lines of squash or maybe melons--did you plant anything like that? |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 24, 2008
12:21 AM Post #5310716
| Nope, I didn't plant any squash or melons. The soil came from my compost heap. |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
July 24, 2008
12:23 AM Post #5310719
| And what did you put in the compost heap? If it doesn't get hot enough seeds will survive, so if you had some veggie leftovers in there some of the seeds could have survived. Of course it could be a weed too, their seeds don't always get killed in the compost pile either! |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 24, 2008
12:31 AM Post #5310735
| Yup, it could be anything!
I don't think it's melon or squash though, since they tend to have a trailing habit (at least the ones I'm familiar with do - I have squash and cucumber planted in the other bed) |
Resin
Northumberland
(United Kingdom)
(Zone 9a)
July 24, 2008
6:16 AM Post #5311064
| Something in the Solanaceae?
Resin
|
KSBaptisia
Beatrice, NE
(Zone 5b)
July 24, 2008
9:58 AM Post #5311731
| Yep, looks like a species of Groundcherry (Physalis), but I can't tell which one. |
KSBaptisia
Beatrice, NE
(Zone 5b)
July 24, 2008
10:03 AM Post #5311754
| It almost looks like Tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), but it has been about ten years since I last grew some so I can't remember exactly what they look like. |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 25, 2008
2:17 AM Post #5316516
| I think you must be right, it looks to be from the Physalis family.
I hope they are edible! |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 25, 2008
2:22 AM Post #5316520
| It is a Physalis. Because of the leaf shape and yellow flowers, I think it is
Physalis pendula, the Lance-leaved Ground Cherry.
The fruiting calyx will prove the species. If it is Physalis pendula, the calyx will be 10 angled and purple veined. |
Metrosideros
Keaau, HI
July 25, 2008
2:37 AM Post #5316538
| Hey Coconut Girl (Palm Wahine) most poha berries (Physalis) are edible when completely ripe. Unripe, they contain alkaloids which aggrevate joint conditions such as arthritus. Treat them with salt & vinegar to make salsa, or cook them into a recipe, and you will nullify the toxin.
A hui hou, Dave |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 26, 2008
11:59 PM Post #5325588
| Mahalo Dave!
I'll post some more photos when fruiting occurs, so that we can confirm the species.
I plant tomatoes mainly for salsa (ahi poke anyone?) Ground Cherries will make a colourful addition to the next batch! Having never seen ground cherries, either in plant or fruit form, how will I know they are fully ripe? (no green - ha ha!)
This is very exciting, and I can only imagine how they wound up in my garden. They don't seem to be native(or introduced) to my area at all.
Thanks for your help, I very much appreciate it! |
KSBaptisia
Beatrice, NE
(Zone 5b)
July 27, 2008
10:23 AM Post #5326885
| If it is a wild species of ground cherry, you need to wait until the fruit turns yellow/orange. If it is tomatillo, which I really think it is, you pick them green when the husk starts to split a bit.
How long have you been gardening in that spot? I grew tomatillos one year and they volunteered for several years afterwards. |
PalmWahine
Victoria
(Canada)
July 30, 2008
4:57 PM Post #5345099
| I've been gardening in this bed for about 4 years, but I've only ever grown tomatoes and squash. I've never grown tomatillos or anything related to them, and I've never eaten them or disposed of them in my compost.
It really is a mystery, unless a bird ate one somewhere else and deposited several seeds at once, which is remotely possible. I've never even seen tomatillo plants for sale around here! I can't wait to try one. |
