Cutleaf groundcherry (Physalis angulata)

Physalis angulata, cutleaf groundcherry, is the wild lantern plant of Indian fields and wasteland, sodakku thakkali in Tamil. Children burst its papery husks with a pop, which is where the name comes from. The small ripe berries are eaten as a wild snack. The unripe fruit and leaves contain toxic alkaloids, as other members of the tomato family do.

Botanical name: Physalis angulata L.
Family: Solanaceae
Tamil: Sodakku thakkali
Hindi: Ban tipari
Parts used: Ripe fruit
Habit: Wild lantern; cape gooseberry is a cousin
Last updated: 2026-10-26

How to recognise Cutleaf groundcherry

It is an upright, branching annual, usually knee-high, with smooth or only slightly hairy, angled stems and toothed, oval leaves.

Flowers are small, pale yellow bells without the dark spots of cape gooseberry, or with very faint ones.

The papery husk is green, often veined with purple, and angled, enclosing a small, round berry that turns yellow-green to orange when ripe.

Cape gooseberry, Physalis peruviana, is hairier, with larger, spotted flowers and bigger golden berries.

Traditional use of Cutleaf groundcherry

Village food

Children pick and eat the ripe berries straight from the plant across rural India.

Indian village practice

Folk practice

The plant appears in folk preparations in India, Africa and South America.

Tropical folk practice

Modern notes on Cutleaf groundcherry

Researchers have isolated physalins and withanolides from the plant and studied them in the laboratory. That work concerns extracts, not the berries.

Agronomists know it as a common weed of crops such as cotton, sugarcane and vegetables.

Cutleaf groundcherry safety

Eat only fully ripe berries in small amounts. Avoid unripe fruit, leaves and stems.

Ecology and sourcing

It is native to tropical America and is now a weed across the tropics, including all of India.

It grows in fields, gardens, field bunds and roadsides, especially after the rains.

Birds eat the berries and spread the seeds.

Related plants

Also in Solanaceae

Questions about Cutleaf groundcherry

What do older Indian books print?

Physalis minima.

Is Cutleaf groundcherry cape gooseberry?

No. Cape gooseberry is Physalis peruviana.

Why sodakku thakkali?

Sodakku is the snap of the husk when children burst it.

When does Cutleaf groundcherry fruit?

Mostly after the monsoon, in fields and bunds.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.