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coastal groundcherry

sharp leaf ground cherry, Wright groundcherry

Habit Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, often also with slender, shallow rhizomes, glabrous except for sparse dendroid-stelliform hairs to 1 mm on leaf margins and calyx. Herbs annual, taprooted, sparsely pubescent to ± glabrous, hairs simple, appressed, antrorse, to 0.5 mm.
Stems

erect to decumbent, branching at most nodes, proximal branches spreading and decumbent, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) dm.

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

Leaves

sessile;

blade linear-lanceolate, sometimes folded along midrib, 2.5–9 × 0.2–0.8(–1) cm, base tapering to stem, margins entire.

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

14–21 mm, 15–35(–42) mm in fruit.

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

Flowers

calyx 6–8 mm, lobes (2–)3–4 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 ochre smudges, campanulate-rotate, (8–)11–15 mm;

anthers yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 2–2.5 mm.

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

orange drying brown, loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, (15–)20–30(–40) × 15–25 mm.

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

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis angustifolia

Physalis acutifolia

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost. Flowering (May–)Jul–Nov.
Habitat Sand, beach dunes, disturbed coastal areas in sand. Disturbed areas along streams and roadsides, gravel and sand, cultivated fields, parks.
Elevation 0 m. (0 ft.) 100–2000 m. (300–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; LA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AZ; CA; GA; MS; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In Florida, plants occur along the panhandle east to Franklin County. Narrow-leaved plants of Physalis × elliottii var. glabra occurring in peninsular Florida are sometimes mistakenly keyed to P. augustifolia (J. R. Sullivan 1985, 2013).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

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. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Physalis Solanaceae > Physalis
Sibling taxa
P. acutifolia, P. angulata, 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
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 Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 113. (1834) (Miers) Sandwith: Kew Bull. 14: 232. (1960)
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