The Cape Gooseberry and the Mexican Husk Tomato
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MORTON AND RUSSELL: CAPE GOOSEBERRY 261 LITERATURE CITED Seedling Plantings in Hawaii. Hawaii Agric. Expt. Sta. Bui. 79: 1-26. 1938. 1. Pope, W. T. The Macadamia Nut in Hawaii. 10. Howes, F. N. Nuts, Their Production and Hawaii Agric. Exp. Sta. Bui. 59: 1-23. 1929. Everyday Use. 264 pp. London, Faber & Faber. 2. Hamilton, R. A. and Storey, W. B. Macadamia 1953. Nut Varieties for Hawaii Orchards. Hawaii Farm Sci., 11. Cooil, Bruce J. Hawaii Agric. Exp. Sta. Bien 2: (4). 1954. nial Report—1950-52: p. 56. ft. Chell, Edwin and Morrison, F. R. The Cultiva 12. Beaumont, J. H. and Moltzau, R. H. Nursery tion and Exploitation of the Australian Nut. Sydney, Propagation and Topworking of the Macadamia. Ha Tech. Museum Bui. 20: 1935. waii Agric?. Exp. Sta. Cir. 13: 1-28. 1937. 4. Francis, W. D. Australian Rain Forest Trees. 13. Fukunaga. Edward T. Grafting and Topwork 469 pp. Sydney and London, Angus and Robertson: ing the Macadamia. Univ. of Hawaii Agric. Ext. Cir. 1951 58: 1-8. 1951. 5. Bailey, L. H. Manual of Cultivated Plants. N. Y.f 14. Storey, W. B., Hamilton, R. A. and Fukunaga, McMillan. 1949. E. T. The Relationship of Nodal Structures to Train 6. Chandler, Wm. H. Evergreen Orchards. 352 pp.: ing Macadamia Trees. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. Proc. 61: Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger. 1950. pp. 317-323. 1953. 7. Schroeder, C. A. The Macadamia Nut. Calif. 15. Anonymous. Insect Pests and Diseases of Agric, p. 3: April 1954. Plants. Queensland Agriculture and Pastoral Hand 8. Miller, Carey D. and Louis, Lucille. Nutritive book, pp. 263-267: Brisbane, Gov't. Printer. 1951. Value of Macadamia Nuts. Hawaii Agric. Exp. Sta. 16. Merrill, G. B. A Revision of the Scale-Insects of Progress Notes, No. 17: 1-3. 1940. Florida. State Plant Board of Fla. Bui. 1: pp. 1-143. 9. Ripperton, J. C, Moltzau, R. H. and Edwards, 1953. D. N. Methods of Evaluating the Macadamia Nut for 17. Butcher, F. Gray. Personal communication, Jan. Commercial Use and the Variation Occurring Among 1954. THE CAPE GOOSEBERRY AND THE MEXICAN HUSK TOMATO Julia F. Morton gardens, is the Strawberry Tomato or Ground Cherry, Physalis pruinosa L., grown for its Co-Director, Morton Collectanea small yellow fruits used for sauce, pies and University of Miami preserves. Though more popular with former generations than at present, it is still offered Oris S. Russell by seedsmen. A species which bears a superior fruit is the Director of Agriculture Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana L. (P. Nassau, Bahamas edulis Sims), one of the two subjects of this paper. Reportedly native to Peru and Chile, The increasing horticultural importance of this species has been widely introduced into two species of the genus Physalis, the Cape cultivation in tropical and subtropical and Gooseberry (P. peruviana L.) and the Mexi even temperate areas. It is said to succeed can Husk Tomato (P. ixocarpa Brot), as evi wherever tomatoes can be grown. The plant, denced by current literature in the files of the growing to 3 ft. in height, has velvety, some Morton Collectanea of the University of Mi what heart-shaped leaves and yellow, bell- ami, has inspired their recent introduction and shaped flowers. After the flower falls, the trial in South Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto calyx expands, ultimately forming a straw- Rico and Jamaica. The following presenta colored husk much larger than the fruit it en tion is based on a review of the literature re closes. The berry is globose, about 5&" in di ferred to and on the personal observations and ameter, with smooth, orange-yellow skin and experience of the authors. juicy pulp containing numerous very small The genus Physalis, of the family Solana- seeds. When fully ripe, the fruit is sweet but ceae, includes annual and perennial herbs bear with a pleasing, grape-like tang. ing globular fruits each enclosed in a bladder- In Hawaii, where it is called Poha, it is like husk which becomes papery on maturity. extensively grown commercially. In South Of the more than 70 species, only a very few Africa, the jam is a staple commodity and the are of economic importance. Perhaps one of canned whole fruits are exported as "Golden the best known is the Alkekengi, Winter-cherry Berries." In Australia, the Cape Gooseberry or Chinese Lantern-plant, Physalis alkekengi is grown on a large scale in New South Wales, L. (P. franchetii Hort., P. alkekengi var. fran- where the fruit is apparently marketed pri chetii Makino), widely grown in home flower marily in the fresh state after removal of the gardens and by florists for its showy orange- husk. According to reports from New Zea red bladders. Another, familiar in northern land, "the housewife is sometimes embarrassed 262 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1954 by the quantity of berries (Cape Gooseberries) fall so that fruit can be set during the cooler in the garden," and government agencies are weather and harvested in late spring or early active in promoting increased culinary use. summer. No diseases were manifested in In China, India and Malaya, the Cape Goose these trials. The leaves of the plants were berry is commonly grown but on a lesser scale. suddenly riddled by what were apparently flea beetles of the family Chrysomelidae, but In England, it was first reported in 1774. dusting with 5% D.D.T. gave effective con Since that time, it has been grown there in a trol. Specimens of Bahamian-grown fruits small way in home gardens, and, in recent are shown in the accompanying photograph. years, has been canned commercially to a limited extent. Despite this background, early In Jamaica, the initial planting of Cape in 1952, the senior author noted advertise Gooseberries in late January of this year ments of the Stanford Nursery, of Sussex, an (1954) made slow growth until June when de nouncing the "Cape Gooseberry, the wonder velopment accelerated. On August 17th, Mr. ful new fruit, especially developed in Britain J. H. Haughton, Chief Agricultural Officer of by Richard I. Cahn." Concurrently, jars of the Crop Agronomy Division, Department of Cape Gooseberry Jam from England appeared Agriculture, reported by letter that the plants in South Florida markets and the product was had at that time reached 15" in height with found to be attractive and delicious. much lateral growth, and were flowering and setting fruit. White fly attacks on the very With a view to encouraging Cape Goose young plants had been controlled by spraying berry culture in Florida and the West Indies, with Gamelin. Flea beetles on the flowering seeds have been repeatedly purchased from plants were being controlled by regular spray the Stanford Nursery by the senior author and ing with nicotine sulfate. distributed for trial. No success has yet been achieved in growing the species in South Flor The Cape Gooseberry, an annual in temper ida, so far as is known. In the Bahamas, the ate regions and a perennial in the tropics, is first seeds sent to Donald Lawrance in Nassau best treated as an annual even in tropical in the late summer of 1952 produced healthy cultivation. Some growers have kept plants plants and a continuous crop of fruits for in production for as long as four years by cut three months during the following winter. ting back after each harvest, but these plants Additional seeds procured from England and have been found more susceptible to pests and sent to the co-author in Nassau were planted diseases. Seedlings are generally set 1800 to on April 17, 1953. Plants started to blossom 2150 to the acre with yields of approximately in mid-July and from September on continued 3000 lbs. of fruit per acre. The fruits are usu to flower and set fruit, although no fruits re ally picked from the plants by hand, although mained on the plants to maturity until the some giowers prefer to shake the plants and cooler months of winter when a good yield was gather the fallen fruits from the ground in obtained. Seeds were again planted the fol order to obtain those of more uniform matur- lowing November. Thirteen weeks later, the ity. first fruits were ripening, and by mid-May of In addition to being canned whole and as the current year a heavy crop was harvested, jam, the fruit is made into sauce, used in pies, some plants producing more than 300 fruits puddings, chutneys and ice cream, and eaten each. In late June, the plants were still grow fresh in fruit salads and fruit cocktails. The ing and flowering profusely but only a few Cape Gooseberry is a good source of vitamins fruits were being set and these failed to de A and B and is high in phosphorus and iron. velop to maturity. This condition continued It is surprising that it has received so little into September, by which time some of the attention in this country in view of its having more robust plants had reached 57" in been reported on with enthusiasm by the late height with much lateral growth. It is ex Dr. David Fairchild in his well-loved book, pected that, as in the previous year, there "The World Was My Garden." He there will be abundant fruiting during the winter tells of its fruiting "enormously" in the garden months. It would appear that the heat of of his home, "In The Woods," in Maryland, summer is unfavorable for fruit development and of the cook's putting up over a hundred and, therefore, the best time to plant the jars of what he called "Inca Conserve" which Cape Gooseberry in the Bahamas is in the "met with universal favor/* MORTON AND RUSSELL: CAPE GOOSEBERRY 263 The Mexican Husk Tomato trial to the co-author in Nassau, to Dr.