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thick leaf ground cherry, yellow nightshade groundcherry

sharp leaf ground cherry, Wright groundcherry

Habit Herbs perennial, becoming suffrutescent, rhizomatous, rhizomes often just below soil surface, vertical, stout, puberulent, hairs divergent, to 0.5 mm, some glandular, appearing ± glabrous without magnification. Herbs annual, taprooted, sparsely pubescent to ± glabrous, hairs simple, appressed, antrorse, to 0.5 mm.
Stems

erect, branching from near base and at most nodes, branches widely spreading, distinctly zigzag, slender, 1–4(–10) dm.

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

Leaves

petiolate;

petiole mostly as long as blade;

blade broadly ovate to deltate, 0.8–3.3(–4.5) × 0.8–3.3(–4.5) cm, base cordate, sometimes slightly unequal, margins entire to unevenly coarsely dentate, sometimes thick and slightly succulent.

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

8–24(–33) mm, (11–)14–30(–35) mm in fruit.

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

Flowers

calyx (3–)4–7(–8) mm, lobes 1–3 mm;

corolla pale yellow with yellow or greenish-brown smudges or tinge, campanulate-rotate, 8–14 mm;

anthers yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 1.5–3 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

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 14–30(–40) × (10–)15–20(–25) mm.

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

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis crassifolia

Physalis acutifolia

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost, mostly Mar–Apr. Flowering (May–)Jul–Nov.
Habitat Gravelly or sandy slopes, washes, roadsides, mesas, canyons. Disturbed areas along streams and roadsides, gravel and sand, cultivated fields, parks.
Elevation 100–1700 m. (300–5600 ft.) 100–2000 m. (300–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora) [Introduced in Australia]
[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 Physalis crassifolia, the corolla limb is widely flaring and reflexed when the flower is fully open, and the flowers are more nodding than fully pendent. Some herbarium specimen labels indicate that plants flower the first year. Physalis greenei Vasey & Rose, not validly published, has been misapplied to some representatives of P. crassifolia. Physalis crassifolia is widespread in Arizona, but it is restricted in California to south-southeastern counties as far north as Inyo, in Nevada to Clark and Lincoln counties, and in Utah to Washington County.

(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. angustifolia, P. arenicola, P. caudella, P. cinerascens, P. cordata, 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 P. crassifolia var. cardiophylla, P. crassifolia var. versicolor, P. versicolor Saracha acutifolia, P. wrightii
Name authority Bentham: Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 40. (1844) (Miers) Sandwith: Kew Bull. 14: 232. (1960)
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