Tomatillo vs. Gooseberry — What's the Difference?

The tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica and Physalis ixocarpa), also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated in Mexico and were cultivated in the pre-Columbian era.

Gooseberry ( or (American and northern British) or (southern British)), is a common name for many species of Ribes (which also includes currants), as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance. The berries of those in the genus Ribes (sometimes placed in the genus Grossularia) are edible and may be green, red, purple, yellow, white, or black.

A ground cherry (Physalis philadelphica) native to Mexico but widely naturalized in eastern North America, having an edible, yellow to purple viscid fruit.

Any of several spiny shrubs of the genus Ribes, especially R. uva-crispa of Eurasia, having lobed leaves, greenish flowers, and edible greenish to yellow or red berries.

The fruit of this plant.

The fruit of any of these plants.

A plant of the nightshade family originating in Mexico, Physalis philadelphica, cultivated for its tomato-like green to green-purple fruit surrounded by a thin papery skin.

Any of several plants bearing similar fruit.

Mexican annual naturalized in eastern North America having yellow to purple edible fruit resembling small tomatoes

A fruit of species Ribes uva-crispa, related to the currant.

Annual of Mexico and southern United States having edible purplish viscid fruit resembling small tomatoes

Any other plant or fruit in the subgenus Grossularia, distinguished from currants by bearing spines, including Ribes hirtellum (American gooseberry).

Small edible yellow to purple tomato-like fruit enclosed in a bladderlike husk

Any of several other plants that are not closely related but bear fruit in some way similar:

Chinese gooseberry or kiwifruit, the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa and hybrids between this and other species in the genus Actinidia

Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), emblic, amla.

Ceylon gooseberry, a species of Dovyalis native to Sri Lanka and southern India

(Pereskia aculeata), an unusual cactus

Or shiny locustberry (Byrsonima lucida)

(Phyllanthus acuminatus), a herb-like plant

Physalis angulata, also called balloon cherry and cutleaf groundcherry

Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), indigenous to South America

(Withania somnifera)

A chaperone.

An additional person who is neither necessary nor wanted in a given situation.

A fool.

A fantastic story; a tall tale; a hoax.

A testicle.

Any thorny shrub of the genus Ribes; also, the edible berries of such shrub. There are several species, of which Ribes Grossularia is the one commonly cultivated.

A silly person; a goose cap.

Spiny Eurasian shrub having greenish purple-tinged flowers and ovoid yellow-green or red-purple berries

Currant-like berry used primarily in jams and jellies