Scientific Family
Solanaceae
Other common names
thick-leaved groundcherry
thickleafed groundcherry
desert ground cherry
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
P. lobata
Height
8 to 20 inches
Riparian
No
Spreading branched compact plant covered with sticky fine hairs and bell-shaped flowers. Stems 8 to 20 inches long. Berry-like fruit is enclosed by the sepals.
Stems and leaves minutely covered with fine, short hairs; leaf blades broadly ovate to almost round; flowers bell-shaped, yellow or yellowish, usually with a purple or brown eye.
Habitat
Dry rocky slopes and washes.
Plant Community
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
3000
Flower Characteristics
Petals dull yellow, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide, slightly longer than the sepals; 5 narrow, short hairy bands from the base of the petals to the tips of the petal lobes. Anthers yellow.
Flower color
Dull yellow
Flower shape
Bell-shaped
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems spreadingly branched but forming a compact plant; leaf blades broadly egg-shaped or heart-shaped, margins smooth or shallowly wavy, tapered or rounded at the tip, mostly 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long on leaf stalks of equal length.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Other
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Berry greenish up to 3/4 inch long. Sepals enlarge to enclose the berry-like fruit.
Fruit type
Berry-like
Fruit color
Greenish