| Author | Nees | |
| Distribution | Found over most of the Mountains and Piedmont; also ranges eastward into the upper Coastal Plain, sparingly into the central and coastal parts -- at least in the southern half of the Coastal Plain. Absent over most of the eastern Coastal Plain, with a disjunct record for coastal Dare County.
This is a widespread and, thankfully, well-known Physalis, ranging from eastern Canada south to northern FL and most of TX and to AZ.
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| Abundance | Fairly common to frequent in most of the Piedmont, and in the southern Mountains. Uncommon in the upper Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills, but very rare farther eastward. Rare in the northern Mountains and most of the foothills. | |
| Habitat | This species grows in partial shade of open woods and edges, typically where dry to mesic. It can also be found in clearings, but it is not as weedy as some native species in the genus. | |
| Phenology | Blooms from May to July, and fruits from July to September. | |
| Identification | This is a somewhat familiar ground-cherry of the Piedmont and mountains, growing to about 1.5-2 feet tall, with branching stems. This species has a sticky (viscid) stem, quite hairy; squeeze the stem to detect the stickiness. The leaves are hairy, ovate and about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, usually with only wavy margins or with shallow lobes and not distinct teeth. The leaf base is widely rounded to almost squared. The dangling yellow flowers are fairly large, being at least 1-inch across. Other species can be very hairy but do not have viscid stems/hairs; the similar P. virginiana has somewhat narrower leaves with cuneate bases, as opposed to broadly rounded at the base, and it does not have a sticky stem. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
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| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | S3S4 [S4S5] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
