Chinese-lantern
General poisoning notes:
Chinese-lantern (Physalis
alkekengi) is an outdoor ornamental grown for its lantern-shaped fruit
cover (pericarp). The enclosed immature fruits contain sufficient quantities of
solanine to cause gastroenteritis and diarrhea in children. The mature fruits
are apparently edible (Lampe and McCann 1985).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Physalis alkekengi L.
Vernacular
name(s): Chinese-lantern
Scientific family
name: Solanaceae
Vernacular family
name: nightshade
Geographic Information
Plant or plant
parts used in or around the home.
Toxic parts:
immature fruit
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Solanine, a bitter
glycoalkaloid, is found in the immature berries. Ripe fruit is apparently
edible (Lampe and McCann 1985, Fuller and McClintock 1986).
Toxic plant chemicals:
solanine
Chemical
diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops
Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia,
Canada.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an
animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993)
contained no detailed explanation.
Humans
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Diarrhea,
fever, gastroenteritis
Notes on poisoning:
Symptoms include
diarrhea, gastroenteritis, fever, and a scratchy feeling at the back of the
throat a few hours after ingestion (Lampe and McCann 1985).
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