Quart Plant of Phyllanthus Embelica Indian Gooseberry. Amla is known as amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means the fruit of heaven or nectar fruit. The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 3 to 1 feet in height.The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows.Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian gooseberry is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable. Experimental preparations of leaves, bark or fruit have shown potential efficacy against laboratory models of disease, such as for inflammation, cancer, age related renal disease, and diabetes. Hardy in zones 8 to 11.