Clammy Ground Cherry, Physalis heterophylla

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Local Ecotype

  • Perennial

  • Full sun to part shade

  • Moist to medium soil

  • 6-30” tall

  • Blooms in summer 

A delicious edible native fruit! Clammy Ground Cherry belongs to the same genus as tomatillos, and its fruit is similarly enclosed in a papery husk.  The stems and leaves are covered in sticky hairs, giving the plant a “clammy” feel. The sweet fruit should only be eaten once it ripens from green to yellow-orange, as unripe fruit and other plant parts contain the toxic alkaloid solanine. The husk dries to brown as the fruit ripens, and the fruits often drop to the ground before they ripen. Ground Cherries are host plants for several species of moths. 

Clammy Ground Cherry is a perennial that grows and spreads from deep seated rhizomes, forming colonies of plants. It grows between 8-30” high depending on available light and soil conditions. It is an adaptable plant, growing in both shady woodland habitats and open areas.

Local Ecotype

  • Perennial

  • Full sun to part shade

  • Moist to medium soil

  • 6-30” tall

  • Blooms in summer 

A delicious edible native fruit! Clammy Ground Cherry belongs to the same genus as tomatillos, and its fruit is similarly enclosed in a papery husk.  The stems and leaves are covered in sticky hairs, giving the plant a “clammy” feel. The sweet fruit should only be eaten once it ripens from green to yellow-orange, as unripe fruit and other plant parts contain the toxic alkaloid solanine. The husk dries to brown as the fruit ripens, and the fruits often drop to the ground before they ripen. Ground Cherries are host plants for several species of moths. 

Clammy Ground Cherry is a perennial that grows and spreads from deep seated rhizomes, forming colonies of plants. It grows between 8-30” high depending on available light and soil conditions. It is an adaptable plant, growing in both shady woodland habitats and open areas.