Shoo Fly (Nicandra physaloides)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Plants withstand poor weather conditions well and do not usually require staking. Plants are fast-growing. Individual flowers only live for one day, but the plant produces a succession of flowers from summer to early autumn.
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ in late spring, preferably after the last expected frosts.
Edible uses
Fruit. Young leaves - boiled. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal uses
The plant is diuretic. The seeds are used in Tibetan medicine, they are said to have an acrid taste and a cooling, very poisonous potency.
Material uses
The plant is thought to repel flies.
Habitat
Naturalized in waste places and near dwellings in much of N. America.
Native range
S. America - Peru. Introduced and casual in Britain.