PlantFiles: Shoofly Plant, Apple of Peru
Nicandra physalodes 'Splash of Cream'

Likes and dislikes of any plants is a really personal thing. I really did not like this plant. It grew quickly, the mottled green and white leaves overshadowed the pretty blue flowers. The whole appearance of this plant was not handsome, did not care for the leaves and worst of all, pests just loved it. I did not even wait for the end of the season to pull it out.

Nicandra physalodes is a relative of Deadly Night Shade. It grows up to 4 ft tall, looking more like a shrub than a garden plant. When the flowers die back, a round seed pod is formed, encased in a papery, lantern-like covering. Each pod is filled with copious amounts of seed.

Seedlings develop small black spots on their leaves as they mature, often suggesting to the grower that the plant is infested or diseased. This is not the case.

Splash of Cream has the black stems and burnished pods of 'Black Pod', but the leaves are an unusal variegation of light green and cream, making the plant attractive for its foliage, as well as its lovely blue flower.