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Purple Groundcherry

Quincula lobata

Other common name(s):

Chinese Lantern, Purple Ground Cherry

Family:

Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Arid Llano Estacado, Canadian/Cimarron High Plains, Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains, Shinnery Sands
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Groundcover

Height

.25
to
.5
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Gravelly, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Winter

Seasonal Interest

Berry

Wildlife Benefit

Birds

Maintenance

Prefers full sun or light shade, like under a mesquite tree. In well prepared soil and a little water, it can fill in an area solidly in only three or four months.

Comments

Blooms March-October. Purple groundcherry grows almost flat on the ground. Flowers are purple, blue, or white. Leaves are fuzzy, gray-green, often coarsely toothed or deeply cut, with rounded lobes. This plant is drought tolerant. It blooms until frost, when the top dies, but the roots continue to expand throughout the winter, sending up new growth in the spring for a larger colony each year. Berries are toxic to humans.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Physalis lobata, Physalis lobata var. albiflora

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QULO2. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Quincula+lobata&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=23321&locationType=County&mapType=Normal 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg 107. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=504721#null

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