Long-leaved Ground Cherry
Physalis longifolia also listed as Physalis virginiana
Long-leaved Ground Cherry (Physalis longifolia) is a native perennial with lance-shaped leaves, nodding yellow bell flowers spotted brownish purple at the center, and a round berry inside a papery husk. It blooms May into August on prairies, sandy soil and disturbed ground, mainly in central and western South Dakota. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Solanaceae · Nightshade |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | May into August |
| Height | 30–100 cm (12–39 in) |
| Where | Dry, open sites: prairies, sandy soil, roadsides, disturbed ground |
| Also called | Longleaf Ground Cherry, Long-leaf Ground Cherry, Common Ground-cherry, Virginia Ground Cherry |
| Note | Also listed here as Physalis virginiana: both National Park Service plant lists for Jewel Cave name that species rather than P. longifolia. To tell them apart, check the hairs. Long-leaved is nearly hairless or only finely hairy, and Virginia Ground Cherry is smaller and hairier. |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: Deep, stout rhizomes (underground stems), with new shoots rising from the side roots.
Seed: Many small, flattened, finely pitted seeds inside the berry, which ripens from August through October.
Germination: Seed germinates in warm soil with light. Sow in fall or start indoors about six weeks before the last frost.
How do you identify Long-leaved Ground Cherry?
Look for a single nodding yellow bell, 1–2 cm wide, hanging from the leaf joint, then a papery, 10-angled husk around a round yellow berry 8–15 mm across. Stems and leaves are nearly hairless or only finely hairy. Virginia and Clammy Ground Cherries, which don't have their own pages here, are smaller and hairier all over.
When does it bloom?
May into August.
Where does it grow?
Dry, open sites such as prairies, sandy soils, roadsides and disturbed ground, mainly in central and western South Dakota.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Physalis longifolia; Minnesota Wildflowers: Long-leaf Ground Cherry; Kansas Wildflowers: Common ground-cherry; Flora of North America: Physalis longifolia; Marriott and Hartman 1986, A Survey of the Vegetation of Jewel Cave National Monument; Jewel Cave National Monument Plant Community Composition and Structure Monitoring 2011 Annual Report.