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thick leaf ground cherry, yellow nightshade groundcherry

lanceleaf groundcherry, Virginia ground-cherry

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 perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, stout, hispid, hairs simple, jointed, divergent, mostly 1 mm, and retrorse, 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 infrequently and only at distal nodes, branches ascending, sometimes with multiple aerial stems arising from apex of rhizome, 1–4 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 1/5–1/2 blade;

blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 2–7(–9) × 1–5(–6) cm, base truncate to obtuse or rounded, margins entire or coarsely to shallowly dentate with few teeth.

Pedicels

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

(6–)9–19(–27) mm, 12–30(–33) 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 6–12(–14) mm, lobes 3–6 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 dark purple-brown-black smudges, campanulate-rotate, 9–17(–20) mm;

anthers yellow or blue-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 2–3 mm.

Fruiting calyces

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

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, pyramidal, narrowing to lobes, 20–40 × 15–30 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis crassifolia

Physalis virginiana

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost, mostly Mar–Apr. Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat Gravelly or sandy slopes, washes, roadsides, mesas, canyons. Sandy soils, prairies, fields, thickets, pine-oak-hickory woodlands, gravelly pinyon-juniper slopes, disturbed habitats, sandy or gravelly road­sides, cultivated ground, waste places, along railroads.
Elevation 100–1700 m. (300–5600 ft.) 50–2500 m. (200–8200 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; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; MB; ON
[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.)

Physalis virginiana occurs primarily in the Midwest and central plains states and southern and eastern Canadian prairies. It is found sporadically in disturbed habitats in the eastern United States and on wooded, gravelly slopes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In Manitoba, the fruits of P. virginiana are gathered and preserved (canned) for winter use.

(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. 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. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Synonyms P. crassifolia var. cardiophylla, P. crassifolia var. versicolor, P. versicolor P. monticola, P. virginiana var. campaniforma
Name authority Bentham: Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 40. (1844) Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Physalis no. 4. (1768)
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