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cypresshead groundcherry

Mexican ground-cherry, Mexican ground-cherry or husk-tomato, tomatillo

Habit Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, slender, typically also with shallowly buried, slender rhizomes, glabrous to villous, hairs simple, antrorse, to 1 mm, sometimes also with simple, jointed, divergent hairs, 1–2 mm, sometimes glandular. Herbs annual, taprooted, glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs simple, appressed, mostly 0.5 mm.
Stems

erect, few-branched, 0.5–3 dm.

erect, branching mostly at distal nodes, branches spreading, sometimes streaked with purple, 1.5–10 dm.

Leaves

petiolate;

petiole 1/4–2/3 blade;

blade ovate to suborbiculate, 1.5–6(–6.5) × 1–5 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins entire or coarsely, irregularly dentate with few teeth.

petiolate;

petiole 1/2 to as long as blade;

blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2–7 × 2–4 cm, base rounded to attenuate, margins dentate to entire.

Pedicels

(8–)11–17(–25) mm, 15–30(–35) mm in fruit.

3–6 mm, 3–8(–11) mm in fruit.

Flowers

calyx 6–12 mm, villous, lobes 2–5 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 pale reddish-brown smudges or not, campanulate-rotate, 10–17 mm;

anthers yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 2.5–4 mm.

calyx 5–7(–10) mm, lobes 2–4 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 blue-tinged spots or smudges, campanulate-rotate, 7–15 mm;

anthers blue, strongly twisted after dehiscence, 3 mm.

Fruiting calyces

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 20–35 × 15–25 mm.

filled, or burst, by berry, 10-ribbed, 20–30 × 20–30 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis arenicola

Physalis philadelphica

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost. Flowering year-round in areas without frost.
Habitat Sandy soil, pine-oak woods, hammocks, fields, pastures, road­sides. Dis­turbed sites, fence rows, edges of cultivated fields, road­sides.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; IL; MA; MD; MN; MO; NM; OR; PA; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; SK; Mexico [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Physalis arenicola is found throughout Florida; only a few records exist from the other states in its range.

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

Physalis philadelphica is native to Mexico and, possibly, the southwestern United States; it is cultivated for its fruits, which are used in Mexican-style salsa. It frequently escapes cultivation and can become established in disturbed habitats. Considerable morphological diversity has been documented in this species (M. Y. Menzel 1951; W. D. Hudson 1986); the measurements given here reflect only wild-growing populations in the flora area. The mature berry is pale green to purplish or purple-streaked. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for several years.

(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. angustifolia, 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. pubescens, P. pumila, P. solanacea, P. virginiana, P. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Synonyms P. arenicola var. ciliosa, P. ciliosa
Name authority Kearney: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 485. (1894) Lamarck in J. Lamarck et al.: Encycl. 2: 101. (1786)
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