Physalis minima L.
Family
Solanaceae
Synonyms
Physalis indica Lamk, Physalis parviflora R.Br.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Letup-letup, leletup, chipluan. |
| English |
Sunberry. |
| Brunei | Letup letup (Sengkurong). |
| Indonesia | Ciplukan (Javanese), cecendet (Sundanese), lapunonat (southern Moluccas). |
| Philippines | Pantug-pantugan (Tagalog), amansit (Iloko), amanti-ti-ugsa (Bontok). |
| Thailand | Thong theng (South-western), yaa tom tok (Northern), pung ping (Peninsular). |
| Vietnam | Th[uf] l[uf] nh[or]. |
Geographical Distributions
Physalis minima is found in Tropical Africa, Asia and Australia.
Description
Physalis minima is an annual herb, 20-50 cm tall and densely covered with patent, long and thickened hairs at the apex. The stems are angular above, subterete below, hollow and tinged with purple.
The leaves are ovate to lance-shaped, 1.5-9 cm x 1-6 cm. The margins are irregularly toothed or entire, densely hairy while the petiole is 0.5-6.5 cm long.
The flowers are solitary, flowering sepal is 3-5 mm long while fruiting sepal is 1.5-2.5 cm long. They are greenish-yellow with purple ribs. The petal is 5-10 mm long and up to 1 cm in diametre. It is pale yellow, with 5 distinct dark spots and 2 groups of rather long hairs at the throat. The anthers are yellow with blue margined cells. The berry is 8-14 mm in diametre and yellow.
Ecology / Cultivation
Physalis minima is a solitary or gregarious herb in arable land, dry rice-fields, gardens and waste places, up to 400(-1500) m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
1) Safety
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
