Strawberry Tomato

(Physalis pubescens)

 

   

 

 

Color Photographs: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Strawberry Tomato (Physalis pubescens L.)

Identification: Flower yellow, hanging, bell-shaped, with a dark center. Flower relatively small (less than 1 cm. in diameter). Fruit a yellow-green berry surrounded by a papery sack. Stem and leaves covered with whitish down giving plant a slightly gray-green appearance. Leaves heart-shaped with coarse teeth, an indented or irregular base, and a long petiole. Plant spreading and much branched.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America, but apparently absent in the north-central Rocky Mountains and plains region.

Habitat: Strawberry Tomato is found on dry soils in fields, empty lots, and along roadsides.

Flowering period: July to October.

Similar Species: The combination of the relatively small flowers and the hoary appearance of the foliage should identify this species.

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