Physalis crassifolia |
Physalis acutifolia |
|
---|---|---|
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 |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora) [Introduced in Australia]
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AL; AZ; CA; GA; MS; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora)
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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 | ||
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) |
Web links |