Physalis arenicola |
Physalis philadelphica |
|
---|---|---|
cypresshead groundcherry |
Mexican ground-cherry, Mexican ground-cherry or husk-tomato, tomatillo |
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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 |
AL; FL; GA; MS
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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]
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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 | ||
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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