About Physalis angulata L.
Physalis angulata L. is an erect, herbaceous annual plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It has dark green, roughly ovate leaves that often have serrated edges. Its flowers are five-sided and pale yellow, while its yellow-orange fruits grow enclosed inside a balloon-shaped calyx. The exact native range of this species is not confirmed; it may be naturally endemic to Australia, endemic to the Americas, or native to both regions. Today, it is widely distributed and naturalized across tropical and subtropical regions around the world. This plant produces edible fruit, which can be eaten raw, cooked, made into jam, and prepared in other ways. However, all other parts of the plant are poisonous. The Toba-Pilagá ethnic group of Gran Chaco has a traditional practice of eating the ripe fruits of this plant raw. Unripe raw fruits, flowers, leaves, and stems of Physalis angulata contain the alkaloids solanine and solanidine, which can cause poisoning if eaten by humans, cattle, or horses.
