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smallflower groundcherry

sword groundcherry

Habit Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, stout, sparsely to ± densely pubescent, hairs dendroid-stelliform, to 1 mm. Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes stout, sparsely pubescent, hairs simple, antrorse, to 0.5 mm, or simple, jointed, divergent, 1–1.5 mm.
Stems

erect to decumbent, branching at most nodes, proximal branches spreading and decumbent, 0.5–5 dm.

decumbent or weakly ascending, infrequently branching, branches spreading and decumbent or parallel to ground, 2–4 dm.

Leaves

sessile or petiolate;

petiole 1/5 to as long as blade;

blade orbiculate to broadly ovate or elliptic to spatulate, 1.5–8(–9) × 1–6(–8) cm, base truncate to attenuate, margins coarsely dentate, sinuate, or entire.

petiolate;

petiole 1/25–1/3 blade;

blade oblanceolate, 4–10 × 2–6 cm, base attenuate, margins entire to slightly sinuate.

Pedicels

10–33 mm, 15–60 mm in fruit.

10–20 mm, 10–30 mm in fruit.

Flowers

calyx (3.5–)5–9 mm, lobes 1.5–4 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 dark purple-black spots, campanulate-rotate, (8–)10–16 mm;

anthers yellow, rarely purple-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 2–5 mm.

calyx 6–10 mm, hispid, lobes 2–5 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 pale brown smudges, campanulate-rotate, 10–15 mm;

anthers yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 2.5–3.5 mm.

Fruiting calyces

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 15–35(–45) × 10–35 mm.

loosely enclosing to nearly filled by berry, 10-ribbed, 20–35 × 15–30 mm.

2n

= 24.

Physalis cinerascens

Physalis lanceolata

Phenology Flowering Apr–Sep.
Habitat Dry to xeric pine-oak-grass communities of the Sandhills Region.
Elevation 100–200 m. (300–700 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
c United States; sc United States; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; SC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Physalis lanceolata occurs as populations of 1 to 20 plants scattered within suitable habit, notably where fire management is practiced. W. F. Hinton (1970, 1976) showed that P. lanceolata is not a hybrid and that the name had been misapplied to plants of the Great Plains.

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

Key
1. Leaf blades orbiculate to broadly ovate, 1–6(–8) cm wide, base truncate to slightly attenuate, margins dentate, sinuate, or entire; corolla limbs reflexed when fully open.
var. cinerascens
1. Leaf blades elliptic to spatulate, 1–4 cm wide, base attenuate, margins entire; corolla limbs not reflexed when fully open.
var. spathulifolia
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Physalis Solanaceae > Physalis
Sibling taxa
P. acutifolia, P. angulata, P. angustifolia, P. arenicola, P. caudella, 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. longifolia, P. missouriensis, P. mollis, P. neomexicana, P. philadelphica, P. pubescens, P. pumila, P. solanacea, P. virginiana, P. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Subordinate taxa
P. cinerascens var. cinerascens, P. cinerascens var. spathulifolia
Synonyms P. pensylvanica var. cinerascens, P. viscosa var. cinerascens
Name authority (Dunal) Hitchcock: Key Spring Fl. Manhattan, 32. (1894) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 149. (1803)
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