Physalis - berry mystery

Yesterday, in the forest, I found a clearing where a lot of Physalis grows. Many boxes have already lost their color, but some, still bright red. It looks very beautiful in the forest. It looks like a Christmas decoration.

But, my post is not about beauty. Interestingly, Physalis is quite tasty and juicy, but not a single berry is touched. Forest animals and birds do not touch these nourishing berries. Why? For me personally, this is a very interesting question.

In theory, Physalis, like other plants tend to occupy new areas. And this means that someone must eat this berry, digest it and give it to nature already somewhere else. Seeds that are not digested by the body, enter the soil and germinate.

Here, I do not observe it. Berries fall to the ground, some distance they roll, and that’s it! Is this the distribution limit of the species? It is funny, it does not happen. How then do I find Physalis in other places in the forest? This is just a mystery.

I deliberately opened the boxes and looked, the berries were in place, no one was tempted by them.

I admit the idea that some Physalis berries are eaten when the box opens and they fall to the ground. And so it spreads through the forest. But, nobody touches the box itself.

I read that the stalks of Physalis, and the tissue of the box is poisonous, but animals do not seek to open it and get the berry. They know that this is poison.

Only happy berries that fall out of the embrace of a poisonous box on their own are given the opportunity to win new territories.

This is my guess.

Photos taken with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 camera
Author @barski
Moldova

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