Physalis pumila
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Physalis pumila, commonly known as dwarf ground-cherry or prairie ground-cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It is a perennial or rhizomatous geophyte native to the central and south-central United States.[2][1] The species grows in open habitats including glades, prairies, sandhills, dunes, sandy floodplains, fields, disturbed habitats, and roadsides.[3][4][1]
| Physalis pumila | |
|---|---|
| |
| Physalis pumila var. hispida in fruit | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Physalis |
| Species: | P. pumila |
| Binomial name | |
| Physalis pumila Nutt. | |
Description
Physalis pumila is a perennial herb. Plants are rhizomatous and may arise from deeply buried rhizomes.[2][3] Members of the species produce solitary flowers in the leaf axils and fruits enclosed in an inflated calyx, as is typical of the genus Physalis.[5]
The typical variety, P. pumila var. pumila, has 2–3-branched hairs, distinguishing it from related stellate-haired taxa with dendroid-stelliform hairs.[5] The variety P. pumila var. hispida has elliptic-ovate leaf blades and flowering calyces and pedicels that are hispid with stiff spreading hairs.[5]
Taxonomy
Physalis pumila was first described by Thomas Nuttall in 1836 in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society.[6] Plants of the World Online accepts the species as Physalis pumila Nutt.[2]
Two varieties are accepted: Physalis pumila var. pumila and Physalis pumila var. hispida.[2][3][4] The variety P. pumila var. hispida was published by J.R. Sullivan in 2013. Its basionym is Physalis virginiana var. hispida Waterf., published in 1958.[7]
NatureServe notes that Sullivan's treatment in the Flora of North America, published in 2023, treats Physalis hispida as a variety of P. pumila, while Kartesz treated P. hispida and P. pumila as separate species.[8][9] Synonyms of P. pumila var. hispida include Physalis hispida, Physalis pumila subsp. hispida, and Physalis virginiana var. hispida.[4][9]
The Flora of the Southeastern United States notes possible confusion between P. pumila var. hispida and Physalis longifolia var. longifolia where their ranges overlap.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Physalis pumila is native to the central United States. Plants of the World Online lists it as native to Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming, and introduced in Germany and Wisconsin.[2] NatureServe describes the species as occurring in the Great Plains from Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming south to western Louisiana, eastern Texas, and New Mexico.[1]
The species occurs in open, often dry or sandy habitats. NatureServe lists its habitats as sandhills, dunes, sandy floodplains, sandy or dry rocky prairies, glades, fields, disturbed habitats, and roadsides, at elevations of 100–2,000 m (330–6,560 ft).[1] The Flora of the Southeastern United States describes P. pumila var. pumila as growing in glades, upland prairies, and disturbed areas, and P. pumila var. hispida as growing in plains and sandy prairies.[3][4]
Varieties
Two varieties are recognized:[2][3][4]
| Variety | Image | Common name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physalis pumila var. hispida (Waterf.) J.R.Sullivan |  |
Western dwarf ground-cherry | A Great Plains variety occurring in plains and sandy prairies. The flowering calyces and pedicels are hispid with stiff spreading hairs.[5] It has also been treated as Physalis hispida, Physalis pumila subsp. hispida, and Physalis virginiana var. hispida.[4][9] |
| Physalis pumila var. pumila |  |
Dwarf ground-cherry; prairie ground-cherry | The typical variety, occurring in glades, upland prairies, fields, disturbed areas, and dry rocky soils of the eastern Great Plains. It is distinguished by its 2–3-branched hairs.[5][3][8] |
- Physalis pumila var. pumila — dwarf ground-cherry or prairie ground-cherry. This variety flowers from May to August and occurs in glades, upland prairies, and disturbed areas from Missouri and Nebraska south to western Louisiana and eastern Texas.[3] NatureServe describes it as occurring in the eastern Great Plains from Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska south to western Louisiana and eastern Texas.[8]
- Physalis pumila var. hispida (Waterf.) J.R.Sullivan — western dwarf ground-cherry. This variety flowers from April to July and occurs in plains and sandy prairies from Nebraska and Wyoming south to southeastern Oklahoma and northern Texas.[4] NatureServe describes it as occurring in the Great Plains from Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming south to northern Texas and New Mexico.[9]
Conservation
NatureServe ranks Physalis pumila as , indicating that it is globally secure.[1] The status was last reviewed on 9 October 2025.[1] NatureServe estimates more than 300 occurrences rangewide and notes that, although the species may face threats from development, agriculture and pasturage, rights-of-way maintenance, and invasive species in some places, the overall impact is likely negligible because of its broad range, large number of occurrences, and tolerance of light disturbance.[1] The typical variety, P. pumila var. pumila, is ranked G5T4, while P. pumila var. hispida is ranked G5T5?.[8][9] The species has no status under the United States Endangered Species Act.[1]