Physalis pubescens |
Physalis angustifolia |
|
---|---|---|
hairy ground-cherry, husk tomato |
coastal groundcherry |
|
Habit | Herbs annual, taprooted, ± glabrous to villous, hairs simple, jointed, glandular and eglandular, of varying lengths, all shorter than 0.5 mm, plants from southwestern United States all glandular, green in appearance when dry. | Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, rhizomes deeply buried, often also with slender, shallow rhizomes, glabrous except for sparse dendroid-stelliform hairs to 1 mm on leaf margins and calyx. |
Stems | erect, branching at most nodes, branches spreading, 0.5–8 dm. |
erect to decumbent, branching at most nodes, proximal branches spreading and decumbent, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) dm. |
Leaves | petiolate; petiole 1/5 to as long as blade; blade broadly ovate to orbiculate, (1.6–)2.5–8(–9.5) × (1–)2–7 cm, base rounded to slightly cordate, margins entire or coarsely dentate, teeth fewer than 8 per side. |
sessile; blade linear-lanceolate, sometimes folded along midrib, 2.5–9 × 0.2–0.8(–1) cm, base tapering to stem, margins entire. |
Pedicels | slender, 3.5–9 mm, 5–15 mm in fruit. |
14–21 mm, 15–35(–42) mm in fruit. |
Flowers | calyx 3–6(–7) mm, lobes 1–3.5 mm; corolla yellow with 5 large, dark purple-brown-black spots, campanulate-rotate, 6–11 mm; anthers blue, rarely yellow or blue-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 1–2 mm. |
calyx 6–8 mm, lobes (2–)3–4 mm; corolla yellow with 5 ochre smudges, campanulate-rotate, (8–)11–15 mm; anthers yellow, not twisted after dehiscence, 2–2.5 mm. |
Fruiting calyces | loosely enclosing berry, sharply 5-angled, 20–35 × 15–25(–30) mm, always noticeably longer than wide. |
orange drying brown, loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, (15–)20–30(–40) × 15–25 mm. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Physalis pubescens |
Physalis angustifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round in areas without frost, mostly May–Oct. | Flowering year-round in areas without frost. |
Habitat | Low woods, edges of swamps, stream banks, floodplains, hammocks, disturbed habitats. | Sand, beach dunes, disturbed coastal areas in sand. |
Elevation | 0–900 m. [0–3000 ft.] | 0 m. [0 ft.] |
Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; CA; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WI; WV; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Australia]
|
AL; FL; LA; MS
|
Discussion | Fresh plants of Physalis pubescens reportedly have a strong fetid odor (M. Martínez 1998). This widespread species exhibits considerable variability in the character of the leaf margins and degree of indument. The fruits of P. pubescens are reportedly gathered for food. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In Florida, plants occur along the panhandle east to Franklin County. Narrow-leaved plants of Physalis × elliottii var. glabra occurring in peninsular Florida are sometimes mistakenly keyed to P. augustifolia (J. R. Sullivan 1985, 2013). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 14. | FNA vol. 14. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. barbadensis, P. barbadensis var. glabra, P. floridana, P. latiphysa, P. pubescens var. glabra, P. pubescens var. integrifolia, P. turbinata | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 183. (1753) | Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 113. (1834) |
Web links |
|