Yellow nightshade groundcherry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow nightshade groundcherry |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Physalis
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| Species: |
crassifolia
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| Synonyms | |
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Physalis greenei |
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Physalis crassifolia is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes and potatoes! This plant is often called the yellow nightshade groundcherry or thick-leaf ground-cherry.
Contents
About the Yellow Nightshade Groundcherry
This plant is known for its interesting fruit, which grows inside a papery, lantern-like cover. It's a perennial herb, meaning it lives for more than two years. It comes back year after year!
Where it Grows
The yellow nightshade groundcherry is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. You can find it growing in dry, rocky places. It loves desert areas and mountains where the ground is often sandy or stony. It's tough enough to grow in these dry habitats.
What it Looks Like
This plant has a stem that can grow up to 80 centimeters (about 31 inches) long. The stem is ridged and branches out. It can grow in different ways, sometimes in a clump, sometimes spread out, or even standing upright.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of Physalis crassifolia are thick and oval-shaped. They are usually 1 to 3 centimeters long. Their edges can be smooth, wavy, or have blunt teeth. The whole plant feels a bit sticky and has short hairs on it.
The flowers are bright yellow and grow from where the leaves meet the stem. They look like wide bells and have five parts. Each flower is about 2 centimeters wide.
The Unique Fruit
After the flower blooms, a special part at its base starts to grow. This part is called the sepals. It gets bigger and turns into an inflated, lantern-like structure. This "lantern" is about 2 centimeters long and protects the fruit inside. The fruit itself is a small berry.
