Cape gooseberry
Family Solanaceae
Physalis peruviana (= Physalis edulis), the Cape gooseberry (P. peruviana 1), is a perennial herb, up to 2 m high, with simple heart-shaped and irregular serrated leaves, and pentamerous yellow flowers (P. peruviana 2, P. peruviana 3). The fruit is a globose yellow berry, 1-2 cm across, enclosed in the bladder-like inflated calyx.
Distribution and use
The Cape gooseberry is a native of tropical America and was introduced in South Africa about two centuries ago. Early in the 19th century it became one of the most important cultivated fruits in the Cape of Good Hope, the taste resembling the gooseberry, hence the name Cape gooseberry.