Flora of North America species comparison

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Physalis acutifolia

sharp leaf ground cherry, Wright groundcherry
Habit Herbs annual, taprooted, sparsely pubescent to ± glabrous, hairs simple, appressed, antrorse, to 0.5 mm.
Stems

erect to decumbent, branching at most nodes, branches spreading and sometimes decumbent, 1–5 dm.
Leaves

petiolate;

petiole mostly 1/2–2/3 blade;

blade narrowly elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, (1.5–)2.5–6.8(–8.3) × (0.7–)1–2.5(–5.4) cm, base attenuate to rounded, margins coarsely, deeply, irregularly dentate, teeth acuminate.
Pedicels

(13–)20–34(–40) mm, (20–)25–35(–39) mm in fruit.
Flowers

calyx (3–)4–5(–6) mm, lobes (1–)2–4 mm, (acute to acuminate);

corolla pale yellow to nearly white with green or darker yellow tinge, rotate, 5–15 mm;

anthers usually blue-tinged, rarely all blue or yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 1–3 mm.
Fruiting calyces

nearly filled by berry, 10-ribbed, 15–25(–30) × 13–20(–22) mm.
2n

= 24.

Physalis acutifolia
Phenology Flowering (May–)Jul–Nov.
Habitat Disturbed areas along streams and roadsides, gravel and sand, cultivated fields, parks.
Elevation 100–2000 m. (300–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AZ; CA; GA; MS; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Corollas of Physalis acutifolia are nearly rotate with a very short floral tube and somewhat reflexed, widely flaring limb when fully open. Unless it is in flower, P. acutifolia is difficult to distinguish from narrow-leaved P. angulata, which has corollas that are more campanulate-rotate, without a reflexed limb.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Physalis
Sibling taxa
P. angulata, P. angustifolia, P. arenicola, P. caudella, P. cinerascens, P. cordata, P. crassifolia, P. fendleri, P. grisea, P. hederifolia, P. heterophylla, P. lanceolata, P. longifolia, P. missouriensis, P. mollis, P. neomexicana, P. philadelphica, P. pubescens, P. pumila, P. solanacea, P. virginiana, P. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Synonyms Saracha acutifolia, P. wrightii
Name authority (Miers) Sandwith: Kew Bull. 14: 232. (1960)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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