Physalis crassifolia
Physalis heterophylla
thick leaf ground cherry, yellow nightshade groundcherry
clammy ground-cherry, ground cherry
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 decumbent, 1.5–10 dm.
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 1/3–2/3 blade;
blade broadly ovate to suborbiculate, (2–)4–11(–13) × 3–9(–10) cm, base truncate to slightly cordate, margins deeply and irregularly dentate to ± entire.
8–24(–33) mm, (11–)14–30(–35) mm in fruit.
9–15(–20) mm, 20–30 mm in fruit.
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 6–12 mm, lobes 3–6 mm;
corolla yellow with 5 large purple-brown smudges, campanulate-rotate, 10–17 mm;
anthers yellow, rarely blue-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 2.5–4.5 mm.
loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 14–30(–40) × (10–)15–20(–25) mm.
loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 25–40 × 15–30 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Physalis crassifolia
Physalis heterophylla
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.)
Physalis heterophylla is widespread east of the Rocky Mountains. Herbarium specimens from Manitoba, Oregon, and Utah represent historical collections. Morphological variation has been recognized taxonomically in some manuals, although intergradation occurs among varieties and they often cannot be identified reliably. The cultivated P. peruviana (cape gooseberry) is similar to P. heterophylla except that it is not glandular and has shorter pedicels (6–8 mm in flower, 13–15 mm in fruit). W. F. Hinton (1975b) reported the uncommon occurrence of a population in North Carolina representing natural hybridization between P. heterophylla and P. virginiana.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA- Local floras:
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites:
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
