tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post579475131949732506..comments2023-12-24T07:02:43.274+08:00Comments on Catalogue of Organisms: My Flower is a Trumpet (Taxon of the Week: Solanales)Christopher Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-6056548358898326402009-12-27T03:56:21.856+11:002009-12-27T03:56:21.856+11:00I have just remembered that the first Cape Goosebe...I have just remembered that the first Cape Gooseberries I had were canned ones from South Africa in about 1973. See the Wikipedia entry for a little info on them.Patnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-79885200301211545082009-12-27T03:50:27.865+11:002009-12-27T03:50:27.865+11:00You didn't mention chili?
I remember hearing ...You didn't mention chili?<br /><br />I remember hearing that Jerusalem and Christmas Cherry were just names invented for marketing the plants as Xmas ornamentals.<br /><br />That Canadian Poisons website you linked to also mentions that <i>P. peruvianus</i> is poisonous when unripe. I wonder if commercial producers know this? I have had a few green ones but didn't eat them. The ripe fruit do contain withanolides so you have to be careful, a large meal can be sedative and aphrodisiac. Like the Ashwagandha, <i>Withania somnifera</i>.<br /><br />The tomatillo (though the seeds were sold to me as <i>P. ixocarpa</i>) is delicious. It is supposed to be the basis of salsa in Mexico, rather than tomatoes. Though I ate it raw the other four members of the household took one bite and declared it disgusting. So they wouldn't eat it cooked when it became even more wonderful. They produce masses of fruit, breaking their own branches with the weight.Patnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-58763556401664239582009-05-11T09:31:00.000+08:002009-05-11T09:31:00.000+08:00They huckleberries of western North America are Va...They huckleberries of western North America are Vaccinium (Ericaceae), not Solanum (Solanaceae). Of course, that doesn't mean some Solanum species aren't called "huckleberry" somewhere. Common names do vary.Barbaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-37259540870721614632009-04-19T19:30:00.000+08:002009-04-19T19:30:00.000+08:00The "Chinese gooseberry" is indeed a kiwifruit, th...The "Chinese gooseberry" is indeed a kiwifruit, though the original Chinese gooseberries were quite a bit smaller than the modern kiwifruit, like the difference between a crab apple and an apple (being a New Zealander, I'm always vaguely bemused by the use of the word "kiwi" alone to refer to the fruit rather than the bird. I had some very strange mental images pop up the other day when I saw a sign advertising "kiwi juice"). <I>Physalis peruviana</I> is the <I>Cape</I> gooseberry, grown in many a garden back home, and was the <I>Physalis</I> I had in mind when I referred to their tastiness. Why they should be called Cape gooseberries if they come from South America I've no idea ("Cape" by itself usually indicates Cape of Good Hope). I've heard of tomatillos, but I've never encountered one in the flesh - nor a Chinese lantern for that matter. I just looked up whether Chinese lanterns are edible - apparently they are, <A HREF="http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=239&p_type=all&p_sci=comm" REL="nofollow">as long as they're fully ripe</A>.<br /><br />While we're on the subject of confusing common names, the "Chinese lantern" that I've always been familiar with is also <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abutilon_x_hybridum" REL="nofollow">very different plant</A>.Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-2480409883988883792009-04-19T16:11:00.000+08:002009-04-19T16:11:00.000+08:00I thought the "Chinese gooseberry" was a kiwi. I j...I thought the "Chinese gooseberry" was a kiwi. I just Googled it, and found the Physallis; a fruit like the Chinese lantern, from Peru. <I>Physallis peruviana</I>; obvious name.<br /><br />Another name for it, in Spanish; aguaymanto, or cloaked water.<br /><br />Infinite variety!Susannah Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11923063322849781223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-55821680064812897222009-04-19T15:58:00.000+08:002009-04-19T15:58:00.000+08:00There are sveral species of Physalis I believe - I...There are sveral species of Physalis I believe - I have seen seeds of at least one sold under the name "Chinese Gooseberry"Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14413237012527210151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460788270738656369.post-70742636265974827782009-04-19T15:34:00.000+08:002009-04-19T15:34:00.000+08:00Fascinating! I never realized all these were relat...Fascinating! I never realized all these were related!<br /><br />Missing in your list of edibles, is a "green tomato" (tomatillo, <I>Physalis philadelphica</I>) popular in Mexico. It's not a tomato at all, but something halfway between the Chinese lantern and a tomato. It's pale yellow or sometimes green and purple when it's ripe, and almost completely wrapped in the calyx.<br /><br />I've been wondering about the Chinese lantern, whether it was edible or not. I am never quite sure of things in this family. I'll try the next one I see.Susannah Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11923063322849781223noreply@blogger.com