Physalis alkekengi
Encyclopedia
Physalis alkekengi is a relative of P. peruviana
(Cape Gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble Chinese lantern
s. It is native from southern Europe
east across southern Asia
to Japan
. It is a herbaceous
perennial plant
growing to 40–60 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves
6–12 cm long and 4–9 cm broad. The flower
s are white, with a five-lobed corolla 10–15 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 4–5 cm long and broad.
, though can be invasive
with its wide-spreading root
system sending up new shoots some distance from where it was originally planted. In various places around the world, it has escaped cultivation. It has food and medicinal uses.
system of medicine and used as diuretic, antiseptic, liver corrective and sedative.
s. When isolated from the plant, these have antibacterial and leishmanicidal
activities in vitro
.
It also contains caffeic acid ethyl ester, 25,27-dehydro-physalin L, physalin D, and
cuneataside E.
as offerings to guide the souls of the deceased. There is also an annual market dedicated to the flower called hōzuki-ichi which occurs every year in Asakusa
around Sensō-ji
every year on July 9th and 10th. Its balloon-like qualities also made it a contraceptive in early Japan.
Physalis peruviana
Physalis peruviana is the plant and its fruit, also known as cape gooseberry , Inca berry, Aztec berry, golden berry, giant ground cherry, Peruvian groundcherry, Peruvian cherry , poha , ras bhari , aguaymanto , uvilla ,...
(Cape Gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble Chinese lantern
Chinese lantern
A Chinese lantern can refer to the following:*A collapsible paper lantern or sky lantern in bright colours used for decorative purposes, commonly painted with Chinese art and calligraphy motifs.*The shrub Abutilon x hybridum...
s. It is native from southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
east across southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is a herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
growing to 40–60 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
6–12 cm long and 4–9 cm broad. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are white, with a five-lobed corolla 10–15 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 4–5 cm long and broad.
Cultivation
It is a popular ornamental plantOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
, though can be invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
with its wide-spreading root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
system sending up new shoots some distance from where it was originally planted. In various places around the world, it has escaped cultivation. It has food and medicinal uses.
Traditional uses
Dried fruit of Physalis alkekengi is called as Kaknaj in the UnaniUnani
Unani-tibb or Unani Medicine also spelled Yunani Medicine means "Greek Medicine", and is a form of traditional medicine widely practiced in South Asia...
system of medicine and used as diuretic, antiseptic, liver corrective and sedative.
Chemical constituents
Like a number of other species in the genus Physalis, it contains a wide variety of physalinPhysalin
Physalins are steroidal constituents of Physalis plants which possess an unusual 13,14-seco-16,24-cyclo-steroidal ring skeleton...
s. When isolated from the plant, these have antibacterial and leishmanicidal
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
activities in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
.
It also contains caffeic acid ethyl ester, 25,27-dehydro-physalin L, physalin D, and
cuneataside E.
Cultural significance
In Japan, its seeds are used as part of the Bon FestivalBon Festival
or just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...
as offerings to guide the souls of the deceased. There is also an annual market dedicated to the flower called hōzuki-ichi which occurs every year in Asakusa
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
around Sensō-ji
Senso-ji
is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine.- History :The temple is...
every year on July 9th and 10th. Its balloon-like qualities also made it a contraceptive in early Japan.