Scientific Family
Solanaceae
Synonyms
Physalis hederaefolia, Physalis hederaefolia var. puberula
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4 to 12 inches
Riparian
No
Bushy plant with erect or sprawling green, angled stems. Base of the flower enlarges as the fruit develops, becoming an inflated, veined, nearly spherical structure.
Flower generally nodding or not erect; corolla yellow to pale yellow; style straight. Perennial herb. Anthers yellow, flower stem shorter than the flower.
Habitat
Rocky, dry desert and mountain areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Bell-shaped yellowish-green, dark at base of limb; 1/2 inch across and have 5 blunt-tipped lobes. The lobes are often bent backwards toward the stem and have darker, brownish patches at the lobe bases.
Flower color
Yellowish-green
Flower shape
Bell-shaped
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems are hairy, branching 4 to 30 inches long. Leaves are alternate, oval and 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long with deeply toothed margins.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Gray-green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Round, green berry inside of a large, inflated, paper lantern-like green calyx. When dry, the berry is yellow-brown and wrinkled and the calyx is tan and papery.
Fruit type
Berry-like
Fruit color
Green