The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

coastal groundcherry

lanceleaf groundcherry, Virginia ground-cherry

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 perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, stout, hispid, hairs simple, jointed, divergent, mostly 1 mm, and retrorse, 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, branching infrequently and only at distal nodes, branches ascending, sometimes with multiple aerial stems arising from apex of rhizome, 1–4 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 1/5–1/2 blade;

blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 2–7(–9) × 1–5(–6) cm, base truncate to obtuse or rounded, margins entire or coarsely to shallowly dentate with few teeth.

Pedicels

14–21 mm, 15–35(–42) mm in fruit.

(6–)9–19(–27) mm, 12–30(–33) 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 6–12(–14) mm, lobes 3–6 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 dark purple-brown-black smudges, campanulate-rotate, 9–17(–20) mm;

anthers yellow or blue-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 2–3 mm.

Fruiting calyces

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

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, pyramidal, narrowing to lobes, 20–40 × 15–30 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis angustifolia

Physalis virginiana

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost. Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat Sand, beach dunes, disturbed coastal areas in sand. Sandy soils, prairies, fields, thickets, pine-oak-hickory woodlands, gravelly pinyon-juniper slopes, disturbed habitats, sandy or gravelly road­sides, cultivated ground, waste places, along railroads.
Elevation 0 m. (0 ft.) 50–2500 m. (200–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; LA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; MB; ON
[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.)

Physalis virginiana occurs primarily in the Midwest and central plains states and southern and eastern Canadian prairies. It is found sporadically in disturbed habitats in the eastern United States and on wooded, gravelly slopes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In Manitoba, the fruits of P. virginiana are gathered and preserved (canned) for winter use.

(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. acutifolia, 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. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Synonyms P. monticola, P. virginiana var. campaniforma
Name authority Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 113. (1834) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Physalis no. 4. (1768)
Web links