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hairy ground-cherry, husk tomato

Walter's 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, pubescent, hairs dendroid-stelliform, to 1 mm.
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–)1.5–3(–4) 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 1/5–1/3 blade;

blade broadly elliptic to ovate (2–)3–7(–11) × 1.5–4(–7.5) cm, base rounded, margins entire, rarely irregularly shallowly sinuate.

Pedicels

slender, 3.5–9 mm, 5–15 mm in fruit.

10–25(–30) mm, 15–35(–45) 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 5–9 mm, lobes 2–4 mm;

corolla yellow with 5 dark purple-brown spots, campanulate-rotate, 10–16 mm;

anthers yellow, rarely purple-tinged, not twisted after dehiscence, 2.5–3.5 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, 20–35 × 15–25 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Physalis pubescens

Physalis walteri

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. Beach dunes, maritime woodlands, inland sandhills, disturbed areas in sand.
Elevation 0–900 m. [0–3000 ft.] 0–60 m. [0–200 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 FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county 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.)

Physalis walteri occurs in inland, sandy areas in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi and on beach dunes from Florida north along the Atlantic Coast to southern Virginia.

(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. 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. mollis, P. neomexicana, P. philadelphica, P. pubescens, P. pumila, P. solanacea, P. virginiana, P. ×elliottii
Synonyms P. barbadensis, P. barbadensis var. glabra, P. floridana, P. latiphysa, P. pubescens var. glabra, P. pubescens var. integrifolia, P. turbinata P. maritima, P. viscosa subsp. maritima, P. viscosa var. maritima
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 183. (1753) Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 112. (1834)
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