Ivyleaf groundcherry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ivyleaf groundcherry |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Physalis
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| Species: |
hederifolia
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Physalis hederifolia is a cool flowering plant. It is also known as the ivyleaf groundcherry. This plant belongs to the nightshade family. You might know other plants in this family, like tomatoes or potatoes!
Contents
About the Ivyleaf Groundcherry
This plant grows in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It likes rocky, dry places like deserts and mountains. The ivyleaf groundcherry is a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It also spreads using underground stems called rhizomes.
What Does it Look Like?
The plant has a hairy, branching stem. It can grow from 10 to 80 centimeters tall. Its leaves are oval-shaped and a gray-green color. They are about 2 to 4 centimeters long. The edges of the leaves can be smooth or have blunt teeth.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers are bell-shaped. They grow where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower is just over a centimeter long. They are yellow with five brown spots inside.
After the flower blooms, a special part called the calyx grows. The calyx is made of sepals at the base of the flower. It gets bigger as the fruit grows. It becomes a puffed-up, round structure. This structure is about 2 or 3 centimeters long. It looks like a paper lantern. Inside this lantern is the plant's berry.
There are several different kinds of this plant that grow in the wild.
How People Use It
The Zuni people are a Native American tribe. They use the fruit from one type of this plant. They boil the fruit in a little water. Then they crush it. They use this crushed fruit as a tasty sauce or seasoning for their food.
Plant Name Meaning
The second part of the plant's scientific name, hederifolia, comes from Latin words. "Hedera" means "ivy" and "folia" means "leaved." So, hederifolia means "ivy leaved." This describes how its leaves look a bit like ivy.
