Comparison of groundcherries (Physalis spp.): berries enclosed in papery husks

	Wright groundcherry P. acutifolia	lanceleaved groundcherry P. lanceifolia	tomatillo P. philadelphica	downy groundcherry P. pubescens	longleaf groundcherry P. longifolia	grape groundcherry P. viscosa
life cycle	summer annual	summer annual	summer annual	summer annual	perennial with creeping roots	perennial with creeping roots
hairiness	glabrous to sparse	glabrous to sparse	glabrous to sparse	moderate to dense	glabrous to sparse	sparse to moderate
hair type	simple, short	simple, short	simple, short, some glandular	simple, long & short, some glandular	simple, short	multi-branched
flower color	yellow to cream-colored or green-tinged with darker yellow center	evenly yellow, sometimes green-tinged	yellow with dark purple central spots	yellow with dark purple central spots	yellow to cream-colored with dark purple central spots or veins	yellow with darker yellow center, sometimes green-tinged
flower diameter	15-23 mm	5-10 mm	8-15 mm	5-12 mm	15-20 mm	12-20 mm
anthers	~ 3 mm tinged blue	1-2 mm tinged blue	2-3 mm tinged blue, strongly twisted after opening	1.5-2 mm tinged blue or yellow	3-4 mm faintly tinged blue or yellow	~ 4 mm yellow
berry husks (calyx)	+/- rounded	+/- 10-angled or rounded	+/- 10-angled or rounded	sharply 5-angled	+/- 10-angled or rounded	+/- 10-angled or rounded
leaf shape	ovate to elliptic or lanceolate	narrow to broad lanceolate	ovate to +/- diamond-shaped	ovate to +/- heart-shaped	elliptic to lanceolate	ovate
leaf margins	slender-toothed	entire to toothed	entire to toothed	entire to toothed	mostly entire to slightly wavy	mostly entire to slightly wavy
other			husks often filled by berries	leaves 5-9 cm, many toothed in var. grisea; 3-5 cm, entire to few-toothed in var. integrifolia	plants often single-stemmed, branched near top	berries sticky