Can anyone identify this 'tomato' plant....or not?

[William1965]

Hello.
New here and just would like to see if someone could identify this plant.
So a while back I planted half of a store bought Roma Tomato in some soil.
Nothing started for a bit, so I tossed the soil with the tomato into this bigger planter outside and forgot about it. Pretty quickly this thing started growing.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3sns ... 3JaOVA2bnM

Theres 3 or 4 plants in the pot there.
I have no clue if this is some hybrid Roma plant....or if somehow some toxic beans from the sky ended up in the planter. It almost looks like some kind of pepper plant, but we havent planted any peppers at all, especially in this planter in the pics.
Any ideas what this plant actually is?

It has those weird pods on it and I cut one open and it almost seems to be a pepper or something starting to grow inside.

I'm going to let it grow anyway...it seems to be thriving and looks nice on the patio. But if its something inedible I need to know because we have neighborhood animals that roam around here that I don't want eating something that might hurt them.

Thanks in advance for any help.

william

[applestar]

It's some kind if physalis -- could be TOMATILLO. Yes the fruit grows inside the paper lantern-like husks.

There are ornamental ones and weedy ones, too. You just have to let the fruit grow to full maturity I think, though !Potatoes! Is an expert.

[William1965]

It's some kind if physalis -- could be TOMATILLO. Yes the fruit grows inside the paper lantern-like husks.

There are ornamental ones and weedy ones, too. You just have to let the fruit grow to full maturity I think, though !Potatoes! Is an expert.

cool....thanks.
Yeah...that does look like that a bit.
I wonder how a store bought Roma tomato seed ended up growing this? A hybrid maybe?

[applestar]

Nope. Don't think it's related to the Roma. Those never sprouted as you said.

If you never tossed tomatillo out or tried planting seeds, this might just be the weed or ornamental kind that are not edible -- Or else what's called "ground cherries" which is an edible kind that makes small round fruits. Birds and animals would eat those small fruited ones and spread the seeds.

Here's a thread on ground cherries: Subject: Ground cherries

[William1965]

The pot is filled with fresh soil so its probably not a weed.
We've been planting different things this year...I wonder if I accidentally bought a pack of Tomtilla seeds thinking they were tomato....possibly.
the plants started growing nearly immediately when I put the planter outside. Probably way too quick for a bird to have left anything and have grown so quick.
Definitely confusing. I guess I'll have to wait and see if its the tomatillo or the ground cherry.
Either way, its nice to see something actually growing in that pot. Most everything I put in those planters dies pretty soon after it gets started. makes me wonder if the plastic is leeching something.

[rainbowgardener]

Weeds are ubiquitous! Just because it was "fresh" soil doesn't mean it couldn't have had weed seeds in it. Sterilized potting mix has fewer weed seeds than regular dirt, but I can attest that fewer does not mean none!

[William1965]

Weeds are ubiquitous! Just because it was "fresh" soil doesn't mean it couldn't have had weed seeds in it. Sterilized potting mix has fewer weed seeds than regular dirt, but I can attest that fewer does not mean none!

Good point.
the timing is just odd. That soil has been in that pot for some time....2 months or so at least...nothing grew. I dumped the Roma tomato and soil into the pot with the soil that was in there and then set it outside and within a week things are growing.
I guess its a waiting game to see what comes from those pods.

[!potatoes!]

Interestingly, I recently moved trays that have been on the porch (that I kept well watered), out to where they've started getting rained on, and have a number of new things germinating. Just how it goes!

Agreed, definitely Physalis, but pretty definitely not tomatillo, which has a more upright and less bushy growth habit and much less fuzzy leaves. All physalis is edible when ripe, and that's the time to really try to ID them. As the fruit ripens, the husk will turn yellow and start to get dry. Whether or not the fruit drops off when ripe can be a first clue in identifying. Looks like it could be cape gooseberry (P. peruviana) or several other species. Report back when you have more data!

[William1965]

Thanks for all the help, guys.
Definitely get some photos up later