Ground Cherries - Edible or Poisonous?

I know ground cherries are not the same as "normal" cherries, but I wasn't sure what other forum to put this in.

I came across a plant I had never seen before, but it looked cool. My phone app says it is a ground cherry and that it is mildly poisonous. Google says ground cherries are edible and packed with vitamins.

I tried researching a bit, but I see people saying poisonous and others saying great tasting. Are there two kinds? Who is right?

A few years ago, I grew these: https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/new-hanover-ground-cherry

They were delicious and didn't make anyone sick. Honestly it was like candy on the vine. But they weren't productive enough for me to keep growing them year after year.

I don't know if what you have there is the same thing.

All the ones I've seen that are edible, have the beige cover like in Christopher's picture.

They aren't ripe until they fall off the plant. They're a close relative of tomatillos which generally are eaten green, but ground cherries are eaten as a fruit and need to be ripe, which requires a long season.

They are in the solanum family, and there's lots of controversy over what in that family is edible and by whom. The more I read, the more I find that most Nightshade plants aren't all that toxic. Certainly, our deer seem to eat both tomato and potato leaves/stems without any harm! However, a friend with known irritable bowel tendencies, made Green Tomato Spice Cake, and suffered 2 days for it. She has a friend who can't eat *anything* in that family, just as I have a friend who can't eat *anything* in the grains family (not rice or wheat).

I think the red ones are called Chinese lanterns, and I know nothing about them. I found at least one comment in passing that suggested they're a different family.

Jay Angler wrote:I think the red ones are called Chinese lanterns...

Hooray for learning new plants! :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkekengi
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Physalis+alkekengi

Jay Angler wrote:I think the red ones are called Chinese lanterns, and I know nothing about them. I found at least one comment in passing that suggested they're a different family.

Ahhh... these definitely look more like Chinese Lantern plants (Physalis alkekengi). It was at a house I am looking at possibly buying... if I do buy it, then I will be able to see if the husks turn papery... or into a spiderweb looking shell. This seems to be an easy way to tell the two plants apart.

Due to the high poison severity, my suggestion would be to only try eating varieties grown from plants or seeds from trusted nurseries and seed companies.

The Physalis or the tomatillo or ground cherry genus is comprised of 94 species of perennial herbs in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family native to America.

Poison Severity: High

Poison Symptoms: All parts are toxic except the ripe fruits. Headache, stomach pain, lowered temperature, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, circulatory and respiratory depression, loss of sensation; may be fatal.

Poison Toxic Principle: Solanine and other solanidine alkaloids.

Causes Contact Dermatitis: No

Poison Part: Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Stems

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/physalis/

I find these growing wild quite often. They're native. They can be delicious if you find one at the right time.

https://www.ediblewildfood.com/ground-cherry.aspx

I know Matt's photo as Chinese Lantern too. I grew those before I knew about ground cherries. I would not have thought they were edible but this says different.

https://shuncy.com/article/chinese-lantern-plant-edible