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hairy ground-cherry, husk tomato

field 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, stout, often also with shallowly buried, slender rhizomes, densely pubescent, hairs dendroid-stelliform, to 1 mm, obscuring plant surface on younger growth, occasionally also jointed, branched or simple, 2–4 mm, glandular or eglandular.
Stems

erect, branching at most nodes, branches spreading, 0.5–8 dm.

erect, branching occasionally, branches ascending, 1.5–5 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.

petiolate;

petiole 1/3–4/5 blade;

blade ovate, 2.5–7 × 1.5–6(–7) cm, base truncate, margins coarsely dentate or irregular to ± entire.

Pedicels

slender, 3.5–9 mm, 5–15 mm in fruit.

10–25(–35) mm, 20–40(–52) 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 6–10(–12) mm, lobes 2.5–5.5 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 pale to dark brown smudges or dark purple-black spots, campanulate-rotate, 9.5–15(–17) mm;

anthers yellow, rarely blue- or purple-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 3–4 mm.

Fruiting calyces

loosely enclosing berry, sharply 5-angled, 20–35 × 15–25(–30) mm, always noticeably longer than wide.

loosely enclosing berry, 10-ribbed, 25–40(–50) × 15–35 mm.

2n

= 24.

Physalis pubescens

Physalis mollis

Phenology Flowering year-round in areas without frost, mostly May–Oct.
Habitat Low woods, edges of swamps, stream banks, floodplains, hammocks, disturbed habitats.
Elevation 0–900 m. [0–3000 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
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]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
sc United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Plants eglandular; corolla with pale to dark brown smudges.
var. mollis
1. Plants glandular; corolla with deep purple-black spots.
var. variovestita
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. crassifolia, P. fendleri, P. grisea, P. hederifolia, P. heterophylla, P. lanceolata, P. longifolia, P. missouriensis, P. mollis, P. neomexicana, P. philadelphica, 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. neomexicana, P. philadelphica, P. pubescens, P. pumila, P. solanacea, P. virginiana, P. walteri, P. ×elliottii
Subordinate taxa
P. mollis var. mollis, P. mollis var. variovestita
Synonyms P. barbadensis, P. barbadensis var. glabra, P. floridana, P. latiphysa, P. pubescens var. glabra, P. pubescens var. integrifolia, P. turbinata P. viscosa subsp. mollis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 183. (1753) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 5: 194. (1836)
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