Physalis walteri (Groundcherry)

Physalis walteri Nutt.

Physalis elliottii Kuntze

Physalis maritima M.A. Curtis

Physalis viscosa L. var. elliottii (Kuntze) Waterf.

Physalis viscosa L. ssp. maritima (M.A. Curtis) Waterf.

Physalis viscosa L. var. maritima (M.A. Curtis) Rydb.

Groundcherry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Solanales	Potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias, sweet potatoes, morning glories, many others
Family	Solanaceae	Nightshade or potato family
Genus	Physalis	From the Greek physalis, “a bladder or bubble,” because of the inflated calyx
Species	walteri	For Thomas Walter, an 18th century South Carolina botanist (not confirmed)

About plant names...

This tomato relative is native to the southeastern United States. It is found on beach dunes and back dunes, in longleaf pine flatwoods, turkey oak sandridges, sandy banks bordering salt marshes, longleaf pine/wiregrass uplands, and slash pine flatwoods, in loamy sand and calcerous soils.

Plants: 6-24" (15-60 cm) in height.

Leaves: Ovate to elliptic

Flowers: Funnel-shaped, yellow, fuzzy, hanging downward, appearing May-Sep, peaking in Jun.

Fruits: Flowers become a papery husk resembling a Chinese lantern. Each husk encloses a single, edible fruit ¾-1" (2-3 cm) in size, which, when ripe, is orange to golden yellow.

Edibility: Fruits are edible raw or cooked. Unripe (light green) or bitter-tasting fruit is toxic, and the husk enclosing the fruit is not edible.

Online References:

Physalis walteri on florida.plantatlas.usf.edu

Physalis walteri on www.eattheweeds.com On edibility

Physalis walteri on www.wildsouthflorida.com

Physalis walteri on coastalplainplants.org

Physalis walteri at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Physalis walteri on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 7 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm)

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

Physalis walteri description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 16 cm)

4/15/2015 · Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Marsh Trail, Florida
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

Range:

About this map...