clammy groundcherry
Family
SolanaceaeScientific Name
Physalis heterophylla
Leaves
Leaves: Alternate, ovate, 1-3 inches long, margins are either continuous and untoothed or shallowly indented. Hairs are short and dense along the margins and on the lower leaf surface, but few and scattered on the upper surface.Roots: Deeply buried thick rhizomes.
Identifying Characteristics
Perennial from rhizomes, yellow and purple flowers, stems and leaves hairy, papery case surrounding the berry. Smooth groundcherry (Physalis subglabrata) is similar but does not have the dense (clammy) hairs that are typical of clammy groundcherry. Additionally, the berries of smooth groundcherry are orange, red, or purple when mature, unlike the yellow berries of clammy groundcherry.
Flower Seed Head
Stems: Erect, highly branched, with hairs.Flowers: Occur singularly on flower stalks (pedicels) in the region between the stem and leaf, or the region between the stem and branch (axils of the branches and leaves). Petals are yellow with a purple center.
Seed Fruit
Seedling: Stem below the cotyledon (hypocotyl) smooth or with short hairs toward the top. Cotyledons 1-4 mm wide, 4-9 mm long, without hairs, or with a row of hairs on margins and on the midvein below. Plants emerging from rhizomes lack cotyledons.Fruit: A round berry, surrounded by a papery case (the calyx). The berry is yellow when mature.
Where Found
A perennial from rhizomes, 8 inches to several feet in height. Mature plants develop a papery case over the berry. Found throughout the eastern United states, west to Utah and Texas, also found in Washington.
Growth Habit
upright and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
dime,
nickle
Dominant Flower Color
yellow
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
has hairs
Leaf Shape
Varies:
round,
oval
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
Varies:
serrated,
wavy
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
has hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
taproot
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb