308 
PH Y S A L I S. 
part alternate ; but towards the end of the branches op- 
polite. Lower leaves from three to four inches long, and 
two broad in the middle, drawing to a point at both ends ; 
they are of a pale green, and are downy. Flowers from 
the axils towards the end of the branches, one, or two at 
the fame joint oppoiite, on Ihort nodding peduncles ; they 
are fmall, of a pale dirty-yellow colour, with purple bot¬ 
toms. Berries fmall, fpherical, red, inclofed in an oval 
dark-purple bladder. It flowers in June and July ; but, 
unlefs the feafan proves warm, no berries fucceed. Dif-, 
covered by Dr. Houftoun at Campeachy, whence he fent. 
the feeds to England. It rauft therefore have been culti¬ 
vated by Mr. Miller before 1733. Willdenow fuggefts 
that the Ph. arborefcens of Thuuberg is probably a dif¬ 
ferent fpecies. 
5. Phyfalis Curaflavica, or CurafTavian winter cherry,:, 
item fhrubby ; leaves ovate, tomentofe. Root perennial, 
creeping. Stalks feveral, fiender, about a foot high, be¬ 
coming fomewhat woody, but feldom lafting above two 
years. The flowers appear in July and Auguft, but are 
rarely fucceeded by berries in England. Native of Cura- 
90a in the Welt Indies. Cultivated in 1699, byvifcount 
Falkland. 
6. Phyfalis tomentofa, or downy winter cherry : ftem 
fhrubby, tomentofe; leaves elliptic.oblong, tomentofe; 
flowers lateral, aggregate. Found at the Cape of Good 
Hope by Thuuberg. 
7. Phyfalis vilcoi'a, or clammy winter cherry : leaves in 
pairs, repand, blunt, fubtomentofe ; Item herbaceous, 
panicled at top. Root creeping,Tending up a great num¬ 
ber of fmooth ftalks, about a foot high/dividing towards, 
the lop into fmall fpreading branches. Leaves heart- 
fhaped or ovate, about three inches long, and two broad 
near theft bafe, entire, rough to the touch, of a pale yel¬ 
low! fn green, alternate, on pretty long footftalks. Flow'- 
ers towards the top, axillary, on long fiender peduncles, 
of a dirty yellow colour with purple bottoms. They 
appear in June and July, and are fucceeded by vifcous 
berries about the fize of the common fort, of an herba¬ 
ceous yellow colour, inclofed in a light-green fwelling 
bladder. Native of America. Cultivated in 1732 by 
James Sherard, M. D. 
S. Phyfalis Pennfylvanica, or Pennfylvanian winter 
cherry: leaves ovate, fubrepand, blunt, aim.oft naked; 
flowers in pairs ; ftem herbaceous. Stems many, pro¬ 
cumbent or ere&, fcarcely a foot in height, fomewhat 
fiexuofe, roundifh or obfcurely angular, on the top at the 
flowers branched, having an obfcure down fcattered over 
them. Leaves three inches long and two and a half 
broad, alternate, on very long footftalks,. pale green, 
having feveral acute indentures on their edges. Flowers 
axillary, on very fhort peduncles, larger than thofe of the 
common fort, and of a pale yellow colour. They aje 
fucceeded by very fmall-yellovvifh berries, which ripen in 
the autumn, when the feafon proves warm. Native of 
North America. Cultivated in 1726 by Mr. Miller. It 
flowers from July to September. 
9. Phyfalis aikekengi, or common winter cherry : 
leaves in pairs, entire, acute; ftem herbaceous, fomewhat 
branched at bottom. Roots perennial, and creeping to a 
great diftance. They fiioot up many ftalks in the fpring 
a foot high or more. Leaves of various fhapes, fome an¬ 
gular and obtufe, others oblong and acute pointed, of a 
dark-gresn, on long footftalks. Flowers axillary, on 
fiender peduncles, appearing in July. See the annexed 
Plate, fig. 1. Berry round, the fize of a fmall cherry, in¬ 
clofed in the inflated calyx, which turns of a deep red in 
the autumn ; pale yellow, fkin membranaceous, very 
thin ; pulp foft, red ; partition very narrow, membra¬ 
naceous. This is fhown feparately on the Plate. Recep¬ 
tacle central, folid, globular, flefby, excavated, cohering 
with the infide of the berry by means of the partition. 
Seeds very numerous, covered with little raifed points, 
yellowifh or rufefcent. Native of the fouth of Europe, 
Germany, China, Cochinchina, &c. Cultivated here in 
1597 - . 
The berries of Aikekengi, commonly called with us 
Winter Cherries, were well known to the ancients, and 
are defcribed by Diofcorides, under the name of 2rpv- 
yvov a\iy.a.y.a.€ov. They have an acidulous, and not un- 
pleafant tafte, followed by a flight bitternefs, which they 
are faid to derive from the invefting calyx. Though ef- 
teemed detergent and aperient, their fruit is chiefly re¬ 
commended as a diuretic in fuppreffion of urine, and for 
removiog of o.bftrudlions occafioned by gravel or mucus. 
From fixto.twelve cherries, or an ounce of the exprefied 
juice, is given as a dole : there feems however to be r.o 
danger from a much Jarger quantity; for in fome parts of 
Germany.the country people eat them by handfuls, and 
in Spain and Swifferlami they-frequently fuppiy the 
place of other eatable fruits; . Ray-fays, that a gouty 
perfon prevented the returns of-the t'Torder, by taking- 
eight of thefe berries at each change of the moon. In- 
ftances of their good efteiTs are related in dropfical and 
calculous complaints; but at prefent they are wholly 
difregarded with 11s. 
10. Phyfalis Peruviana, or Peruvian winter cherry: 
pubefcent; leaves cordate, quite entire. Plant very 
much refembling Datura inetel. Stem (in the Hove) pe¬ 
rennial, lofty, divaricating, very finely pubefcent and ex¬ 
tremely foft, asarealfo the leaves. Flowers folitary, pen¬ 
dulous, yellow, with five dulky fpots at bottom, vifible 
on both Tides, and the throat hirfute. Native of South 
America : found.about-Lima by Alftroenrer. Introduced 
about 1772. It flowers from April, to Oftober. The 
Phyfalis Peruviana of Miller is.Atropa phyfaioides. 
II. Annual. 
11. Phyfalis angulata, or tooth-leaved winter cherry: 
very much branched; branches,angular, fmooth; leaves 
ovate, toothed. This is feldom a foot high. Leaves of 
a deep green, on long footftalks. Flowers fmall, white, 
on Ihort peduncles. Berries fmall, green when ripe. 
Native of both Indies, tochinchina, and Japan,. I11 the 
Eltharn garden, where it was cultivated before 1732, it 
came up among earth that was brought with other plants 
from Carolina. 
/?. Ph. glabrum. Dillenius has figured another Aike¬ 
kengi, which Linnaeus fuppofes to be a variety of the pre¬ 
ceding, although the leaves are in a manner entire. Stem 
eighteen inches high and more, the thieknefs of the little 
finger at bottom, pnrplifli green, fmooth, three-fided,but 
the upper branches four-fided. Leaves refembling thofe 
ofcapficum, thin, fmooth, but not.Ihining-; the midrib 
whitilh, paler underneath. Flowers fmall, five-cornered, 
very pale yellow, with five dufky yellow fpots at the bot¬ 
tom. In other refpeCrs this agrees with the preceding, 
as alfoin its difagreeable fcent. The only differences are, 
that the flowers and bladders are a little fmaller, Ihorter, 
and lei’s produced, and the leaves always entire. The 
feeds of this were gathered by Dr. Sherard in Holland, 
and introduced into his garden at Eltbam. 
12. Phyfalis pubefcens, or woolly winter cherry': very, 
much branched; leaves villofe-vifcid, cordate; flowers 
pendulous ; fruiting calyxes roundifli-globular, angular. 
This branches out very wide clofe to the ground, and 
the branches frequently lie upon it; they are angular and 
full of joints, dividing again into fmaller branches. 
Leaves on pretty long footftalks, about three inches long 
and almoft two broad, having feveral acute indentures on 
theiredges. Flowers produced on the fide of the branches, 
upon Ihort, fiender, nodding peduncles ; they are of an 
herbaceous yellow colour, with dark bottoms, and are 
fucceeded by large fwelling bladders, of a light green, 
incloiing berries as large as common cherries, which are 
yellowilh when ripe. It flowers in July, and the berries 
ripen in autumn.- Linnaeus remarks, that the lpots on 
the corolla are dnlky, not pale; the peduncles nodding, 
not 
