Clammy Ground Cherry Physalis heterophylla
- Phonetic Spelling
- fy-SAY-liss het-er-oh-FIL-uh
- This plant has high severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Clammy goundcherry is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North America in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. and native to North America. In their native habitat, they are found growing in open woodlands, thickets, disturbed sites, or sandy prairies. They have erect hairy green stems and typically grow to a height of 1 to 2 feet and a width of 1 to 3 feet. The ripe fleshy fruits are edible, but the rest of the plant is poisonous.
The yellow bell-shaped flowers with purple spots on the petals appear in the leaf axils and hang downward. Fruits that follow are enclosed in a decorative tan husk. The main identifying characteristic of this plant is the glandularly pubescence of the stem and leaves and the thick rhizomes that run horizontally from the stem. This plant is easily propagated by seed or can be divided.
This plant does best in slightly moist to dry areas in loam, sand, or rocky soils in full or partial sun. Most herbivores will not eat the plant due to the high content of solanum in the leaves and unripe fruit but it has caused poisoning of cattle.
There are 4 varieties and the only this that differentiates them is the venation and margin of the leaves.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Caterpillars can sometimes consume fruits before they mature.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- var. ambigua
Many veined and dentate margins - var. clavipes
Many veins, spare tooth-like projects from otherwise entire margins - var. heterophylla
Dentate margins - var. nycangienea
Thin leaves with tooth-like projections on otherwise entire margins
- var. ambigua
- var. ambigua, var. clavipes, var. heterophylla, var. nycangienea
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- var. ambigua
Many veined and dentate margins - var. clavipes
Many veins, spare tooth-like projects from otherwise entire margins - var. heterophylla
Dentate margins - var. nycangienea
Thin leaves with tooth-like projections on otherwise entire margins
- var. ambigua
- var. ambigua, var. clavipes, var. heterophylla, var. nycangienea
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Physalis
- Species:
- heterophylla
- Family:
- Solanaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , AZ , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: MB , ON , PE , QC , SK
- Wildlife Value:
- Various upland gamebirds and small mammals eat the mature fruit. Bees will visit the flowers.
- Edibility:
- The fruit is bitter but edible only when mature. Eat fresh, cooked into pies or jams, or dried.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- After flowering, the hairy sepals elongated and fuse to become a latern or inverted tear drop shaped papery husk containing a single 1/3- 1/2 inch fruit that has several seeds. They are green initially but become yellow at maturity in mid to late summer.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Bell
- Funnel
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Funnel-shaped drooping flowers with 5 fused petals emerge singly from leaf axils and are yellow on the outside and yellow on the inside with purplish markings starting at the base of the petal. There are 5 sepals and 5 stamens with yellow anthers and purple filaments. The calyx and stem are covered in fine white hairs. Each flower is 3/4- 1 inch wide and blooms occur in summer for about 2 months.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Yellow-green, hairy simple, alternate heart-shaped to broadly lanceolate leaves 4" long and 3" wide with dentate, entire or undulate margins. Base is rounded to heart-shaped and tip is pointed.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Hairy green round stems
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Problems:
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Horses
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- High
- Poison Symptoms:
- Symptoms include headache, stomach pain, lowered temperature, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, circulatory and respiratory depression, loss of sensation.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Solanine and other solanidine alkaloids
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Stems
