Apple of Peru (Nicandra physalodes)

Apple of Peru (Nicandra physalodes) is a species of plant in the Solanaceae, an erect shrub up to 1 meter high, evergreen, strong with spreading branches, ovate leaves, bell flowers, green stems, toothed and wavy, grows in tropical forests at elevations 1000-1500 meters.

N. physalodes has a cylindrical stem with linear angles and is green in color. Leaves oblong, pointed tip, serrated margin, thick and leathery, green, a main vein in the middle with many small pinnate veins.

Bell-shaped flowers, 5 parts, 5 cm or more in diameter, pale purple corolla with white passages, only open for a few hours a day. Five pistils, white and white stalks.

The fruit is berry-shaped in thin petals and has a strong odor. All parts of the plant may be poisonous. The seeds are used as an insecticide and antipyretic, for fever, indigestion and constipation.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Subfamily: Solanoideae
Tribe: Nicandreae
Genus: Nicandra
Species: Nicandra physalodes

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