About Physalis acutifolia (Miers) Sandwith
Physalis acutifolia is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, known by the common names sharpleaf groundcherry and Wright's ground-cherry. It is native to the southwestern United States, ranging from California to Texas, and northern Mexico. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. It sometimes acts as a weed when it grows in agricultural fields, but it is generally not weedy in its native wild habitat. This species is an annual herb that produces a branching stem up to one meter tall. Its leaves are lance-shaped to oval, reaching up to 12 centimeters in length, with edges lined with shallow, smooth teeth. The green vegetative tissue of the plant is thinly coated with hairs that lie pressed flat against the surface. Flowers grow from the leaf axils; they are round with flat faces, sometimes measuring over 2 centimeters wide. They range in color from white to pale yellow, with wide, bright yellow centers. Each of the five stamens is tipped with an anther about 3 millimeters long. The star-shaped calyx of sepals at the base of the flower enlarges as the fruit develops, forming an inflated, ribbed, lantern-shaped structure around 2 centimeters long that holds the berry inside.
