longleaf groundcherry

Longleaf groundcherry, also called common groundcherry, is a native, common, and widespread flowering plant. It occurs in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, but it is mostly absent from the southeast. It also occurs in southern Ontario Canada and in Mexico. In Minnesota it is relatively common in the southern third of the state, but it is absent from the north.

Longleaf groundcherry is found in fields, weedy meadows, open woodlands, prairies, disturbed areas, roadsides, railroads, gardens, and yards. It grows under full to partial sun, in moist to moderately moist conditions, in fertile loamy soil. It can be weedy, having the potential to overpopulate an area and upsetting its normal biological balance.

There are two generally recognized varieties of longleaf groundcherry: var. subglabrata in the east and var. longifolia in the west. Where the two varieties occur together, including in southern Minnesota, there is considerable overlap in characteristics, making identification of the variety difficult.

Longleaf groundcherry is a perennial, 16″ to 32″ (4 to 8 dm) tall forb.

Stems are stout, erect or ascending, and branched. They are often tinged purplish and are either hairless or sparsely covered with very short, upward appressed, nonglandular hairs.

Leaves are alternate and are on 4″ to 10″ (10 to 25 cm) long leaf stalks (petioles). Leaf blades are unlobed, narrowly lance-shaped to egg-shaped, 1¼″to 3½″ (3 to 9 cm) long and ⅜″ to ¾″ (1 to 2 cm) wide. They may be thick and firm or thin. The margins may be mostly toothless (entire) or have a few irregular, wavy (sinuate) teeth. The leaves may be hairless or be sparsely covered with minute, appressed, nonglandular hairs.

The inflorescence is single flowers nodding at the end of 5⁄16″to ½″ (8 to 12 mm) long, minutely hairy stalks (pedicels) rising from the leaf axils.

The flowers are ½″ to ¾″ (12 to 20 mm) long and wide. The corolla is bell-shaped and yellow with purple to brown splotches near the center. The cup-like group of outer floral leaves (calyx) is hairless or is sparsely covered with minute, upward appressed, nonglandular hairs. The anthers may be yellow, blue, or gray.

The fruit is a ¼″ to ½″ (6 to 12 mm) in diameter, spherical berry enclosed in an egg-shaped, papery, ⅜″ to 1½″ (1 to 4 cm) long husk. It hangs downward from a ⅝″ to 1⅜″long pedicel.

Sources

2, 3, 4, 24, 29, 30.

Most authors recognize two varieties, var. subglabrata and the nominate variety, var. longifolia. A third variety, var. texana, has been described but it is not widely recognized. Some authors treat var. subglabrata as a distinct species, Physalis subglabrata.

Physalis longifolia Ground cherry at TNC Cox Unit

Location: Weaver Dunes Preserve, Cox Unit, 126th Avenue off 598th Street off Wabasha County 84.

Physalis longifolia Ground cherry at TNC Cox Unit