Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Japan
Types
Green Tomatillo, Purple Tomatillo
Ophiopogon japonicus, Ophiopogon planiscapus
Number of Varieties
4050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
Damp shady woods, foothill woods, Lowland
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-96-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*1
12-1
Sunset Zone
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval/Rounded
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm2.30 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Sandy Brown
White, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green, Purple, Yellow green
Indigo, Dark Blue, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Root Division
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Regular watering during dry periods
In Summer
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove all suckers, Remove wet foliage
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Fungal Diseases
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Flea beetles
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Arthritis, Inflammation
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Borders
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cancer, Diabetes, Energy, Opthalmic
Antipyretic, Antiscrophulatic, Antitussive, Aphrodisiac
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Root
Other Uses
Used for making green salsas and chilli sauce, Used in salads
useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Container, Edging, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
PHYSALIS philadelphica
OPHIOPOGON japonicus
Common Name
Green Tomato, Mexican Groundcherry, Tomatillo
Mondo grass, lily turf, snakebeard
In Hindi
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
In German
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
In French
Tomatilles
Mondo Grass
In Spanish
Tomatillos
Ophiopogon planiscapus
In Greek
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
In Portuguese
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
In Polish
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
In Latin
Tomatillos
Mondo Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Embryophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Solanales
Liliales
Family
Solanaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Physalis
Ophiopogon
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Physaleae
-
Subfamily
Solanoideae
-
Number of Species
7550
1
27800
👆🏻