Sorry no pics -- guess I really do have to get a camera. (Any recommendations) I'm looking at what appears to be a very healthy tomatillo Plant, Solanaceae. Problem: The ones I grew were green, and low growing, this one is upright about 3 feet , has a black ,square, hollow stem. Leaves are simple, about 4 1/2" X 6". Flowers are Periwinkle blue w/white centers, 2 inches across, protruding from what will be the fruit husk. Half grown fruit husks, five lobed, are black and the stem end blending (like pixels on a computer screen) to green at the point. I can see partially developed fruit inside and it's green. I have spent quite a lot of time on-line trying to look this up but I can't find much in the way of pics of the plant, just the name Purple Tomatillo, pics of purple fruit and every salsa recipe available. Does the fruit turn purple when it's ripe? It is a really different looking plant and is growing very well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
your description sounds similar to that of Atropa belladonna or another form of belladonna, Atropa has the 5 lobes and the purple color,, ingesting it could be very bad if you do not know what you are doing, it can cause hallucinations and intoxication that can last for several days plus death if you overdose. I few kids die every year from it then they talk about it on the news and more kids try it and die. Tomatoes, belladonna, and Tomatillos are members of the nightshade family and will look similar. People did not eat tomatoes until pretty recently because they look similar to belledona which was known as a poison. I was not a member of this forum until about 10 minutes ago, I googled tomatillos because this if my first year growing them and I have hundreds of fruits just trying to find stuff to do with them. When I saw your post and the response that followed it made me nervous. I would hate to see some one make some "salsa morado" and then end up being admitted to a mental institution or morgue.
THANK YOU for your reply!!!!!!!!! I do not make salsa so will not eat them, especially now, but I do think this beautiful plant need to go down to the Washington State University plant ID people in Puallup, before anything happens.
Purple Tomatillos solved. Thank you to all that replied. Answer came via a Seattle Garden Club. Nicandra Physaloides, Shoo-fly plant or Apple of Peru. Not recommended for eating just a showy, different plant.
