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thick leaf ground cherry, yellow nightshade groundcherry

heartleaf 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, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs simple, appressed, 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, branching at most nodes, branches spreading, 1.5–5(–20) 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 2/3 to as long as blade;

blade broadly ovate to orbiculate, 4.5–8.5 × 3.5–7.5 cm, base rounded to truncate or cordate, margins coarsely dentate, teeth 10+ per side.

Pedicels

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

(4.5–)6–11 mm, (10–)15–35 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 3.5–6.5 mm, lobes lanceolate, 2–4.5 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 large purple-brown-black spots, campanulate-rotate, 6.5–9.5 mm;

anthers blue or blue-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 1.5–2.5 mm.

Fruiting calyces

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

loosely enclosing berry, sharply 5-angled, (25–)30–40 × 20–30 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis crassifolia

Physalis cordata

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost, mostly Mar–Apr. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Gravelly or sandy slopes, washes, roadsides, mesas, canyons. Sandy or clay soils, along streams, pine woods, disturbed habitats.
Elevation 100–1700 m. (300–5600 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 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; AR; FL; GA; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; Bermuda; South America (to Brazil) [Introduced in Asia]
[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.)

Herbarium specimens of Physalis cordata often consist of only the distal portions of the plants, with label data stating that they are quite tall. The upper limit in this description is taken from M. Martínez (1998).

(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. acutifolia, P. angulata, P. angustifolia, P. arenicola, P. caudella, P. cinerascens, 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
Name authority Bentham: Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 40. (1844) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Physalis no. 14. (1768)
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