Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana)

Cape Gooseberry

Physalis peruviana

A wonderfully productive and delicious fruiting plant, producing an abundance of golden-orange berries wrapped in delicate, papery lanterns. Cape Gooseberries have a beautifully distinctive sweet-tart flavour, with tropical hints of pineapple, passionfruit and citrus. Delicious eaten fresh from the garden, added to desserts and fruit salads, or made into jams and preserves.

An attractive, bushy plant with soft, velvety foliage, Cape Gooseberry thrives in a warm, sunny, sheltered position with fertile, free-draining soil. Once established, plants can be remarkably productive, providing a generous harvest over an extended season. The berries are ready when their papery husks turn dry and straw-coloured and the fruit inside is golden.

Although technically a perennial, Cape Gooseberry is frost-tender and is often grown as an annual in cooler climates. In sheltered, frost-free locations, plants can survive for several years.

Height: 1–1.5 m

Position: Full sun, sheltered

Soil: Fertile, well-drained

Harvest: Summer through autumn

Frost tolerance: Frost tender

Uses: Fresh eating, desserts, jams and preserves

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