Topic: ?????????? [Solved] Ground Cherry

[Dianna]

Haven't the foggiest idea what this is, but it is growing next to a purplish/pink impatien amongst all the weeds under the deck. Sure is a pretty plant. Hope it isn't a weed...



And, no, Patty. I didn't have a nickel in my pocket!

[barleychown]

Gee, I am not sure on this one. Have any of the buds opened?

[patches]

Well, it's certainly a healthy looking plant, Dianna,  and those leaves kinda look familiar, but I have no idea what it might be.     It sure looks like it has some pretty large buds on it or are those seed pods? 

[Dianna]

 

I forgot that I started this topic and pulled the thing out from under the deck the other day...

It was pretty, but I think it may have been a weed. There were so many weeds under there that I couldn't stand it and ended up pulling everything out that was within reach. When the fall temperatures get here, I will crawl under the deck and get the rest of the "junk" out of there. I really do need to put a weed barrier under there. I don't like it when it gets "snaky" looking...

If it comes back, I will let it grow and keep an eye on it until it is decided that it is definitely a weed...

[Jim]

Actually this one is in the watermelon patch.  Notice the watermelon leaves to the left of the "weed".  It's still there, or was the night we pulled the melons. 

[Dianna]

Hmmmmm! Well, I guess it is still out there then! I thought that was the picture of something I spotted under the deck. I will take another look out there and see if there are any changes in the plant...

[Dianna]

Here is a picture that I took yesterday of the plant...



Any guesses yet? Does it look like a Chinese Lantern to y'all?

[MassMama]

  lantern something or other?

[Patty S]

I'm half afraid to ID your mystery plants, Dianna, cuz I keep flashing back to when I told you that your hollyhock looked like my watermelon! It had been a year since I saw a watermelon plant, & that IS what was coming up right by my plant marker that I wrote "Sugarbaby" on! (I see now that I never went back & said anything else in that thread... I thought I did!  Anyway, my Sugarbaby turned into a hollyhock, & it's still there, right next to the watermelon! )

Now... about your lanterns:
I'm not going to jump in with both feet & say "That's a ___!" ...but, here's what my Tomatillo plant looked like 10 minutes ago. (Color is a little off, due to the flash.)

     
Mine got a late start this year, but last year at this time, my Tomatillos were more mature & had the dark veins like yours do.
     
As time goes on, they start fading & turn from green to shades of yellow & orange, & the veins get darker.

NOTE: IF that's what yours turns out to be: Later on in the fall, the lanterns will deteriorate into cool looking transparent "nets" with little seeds, about the size of mustard seeds, inside... & if you don't get them picked up, you will have more of these plants than you ever dreamed you wanted! (TRUST ME... & ask Pharmer Phil about his!)

The leaves look the same to me... what do you think?

[Pharmerphil]

patty is sure right about that, tomatillos and chinese lanterns will spread like crazy; However, I think what you have here Diana may be a Ground Cherry, and they are very tasty...and they also spread like wildfire.
what size are these lanterns?
are the leaves "soft" to the touch?

[G-Mom]

I agree with Phil. I think it's a Virginia Ground Cherry.

Here is a link to some pics(they are on the right side)...http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/74360/

[Dianna]

I will go out later in the morning and cut one of the balloons and take a picture of what is inside of it. From what I have read, I hope it is a ground cherry. I am ready to start eating 'em...

I thought it was interesting that it is in the nightshade family, along with the tomatillos and Chinese lanterns...

Thanks, Gang!

[Patty S]

I've heard about Ground Cherries, but have never seen them. (No, I don't want any seeds thanx, Dianna... I'll stick with my Tomatillos  & will be sure to pull the plant before it can give me the headaches next spring, that I had this year!)

I was thinking, after I posted my guess last night, that your plant looked awfully short, while I have mine on a trellis, cuz it gets really tall.  Looks like the same leaves & "lanterns", but mine don't shed the lanterns & turn into little tomato-looking things, that I remember. When I Googled "Ground Cherries", I saw a pic of a lady with both, the lanterns & the fruit... makes me wonder if some of the flowers turn into lanterns (with seeds inside?) & others turn into fruit. (OR... if the fruit is inside, & the lantern falls away when the fruit is ready.)

Is it safe to assume that Tomatillos & Ground Cherries are related?

[Pharmerphil]

yes, all are members of the genus Physalis.
Tomatillo...Physalis ixocarpa
Ground Cherry....Physalis pruinosa
Cape gooseberry...Physalis peruviana
Chinese lantern....Physalis alkekengi
which in turn Physalis is in the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, Datura, peppers, the list goes on...

we planted ground cherries, they are very tasty

[Jim]

Well, if this is a ground cherry, you can have em cause they even smell green.  Here's a couple of pictures of what is inside the pods.  Green cherries?

[Patty S]

It doesn't look to me like those were allowed to ripen. If I'm not mistaken, the "lanterns" are supposed to turn from green to yellow/orange before they open on their own, & the fruit inside is supposed to be red.

[Dianna]

There were some of the paper shells lying on the ground beside the plant, but when we popped one of those open, it was just full of seeds. No fruit whatsoever. I think those were a little over-ripe...

Too late to see if any will ripen now. Jim tilled the melon garden in and we are getting ready to plant a cover crop in it. The melon garden was one giant weed bed itself! Maybe the ground cherry will sprout again next year. If it does, I will be moving it into a pot so I can watch it closely...

Phil, I sure wish you would post a picture of your crop of ground cherries so I will know what they are supposed to look like when they are ready...

[Patty S]

when we popped one of those open, it was just full of seeds....
Jim tilled the melon garden in and we are getting ready to plant a cover crop in it.  The melon garden was one giant weed bed itself! Maybe the ground cherry will sprout again next year. If it does, I will be moving it into a pot so I can watch it closely...

If you didn't pick up all those "paper shells", ground cherrys just may turnout to be your "cover crop"! Never fear, I'm sure the ground cherry WILL sprout again, & you might need more than ONE pot...  You'd be well advised to do some major pot collecting now!

[Pharmerphil]

well Our "crop" this year, is from what we grew 2 years ago!! So HEED PATTYS WARNING.... 
they aren't producing as of yet; however. I will tell Laura bout this and see if she has any pics...Sorry I been gone lately, Playing "catch-up" in the yard and garden after the rains...which means the Mower, hoe, canner, stove, dehydrator, Me, Laura..
Have been
running..running..running 

[Dianna]

Thanks, Phil. If she has pictures of them ripened on the vine, that would be great!

Also, do you have recipes for the cherries? If I am going to have a gazillion plants from all the seeds I let drop out there when I was looking into the dried up "lantern", I am going to need some for jelly, jam, pies, etc...

The things I do in the garden without thinking!

[Pharmerphil]

should add tho, first they are green like that Jim, usually the ones that drop to the ground are the best..but, there is a small window before they are Just seeds...they are good, lotsa critters small...and smaller (itsy bitsy) like em

as for recipes, I will reefer you again to Laura cause i think she had some...I, before we met, would stop at the garden after work, have a tomato, then some ground cherries...so I never had a need fer a recipe
they make good jelly tho, we bought some at a flea market onetime

[Pharmerphil]

oops, read Pattys post...Ground cherries are a dark yellow-orange when ripe..Chinese Lanterns are Red when ripe

[Dianna]

These ARE ground cherries, right? That is one of the reasons we posted the pic.

So look for yellow-orangey shells before we pick them the next time? We can eat them right out the "shell"? What do they taste like?