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Physalis crassifolia

Benth.

Thick-leaf Ground-cherry

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.153745
Element CodePDSOL0S090
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderSolanales
FamilySolanaceae
GenusPhysalis
Other Common Names
yellow nightshade groundcherry (EN) Yellow Nightshade Ground-cherry (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Sullivan's treatment in FNA (2023, vol. 14) does not recognize Physaria crassifolia var. versicolor as distinct from typical P. crassifolia.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-10-07
Change Date1991-07-19
Edition Date2025-10-07
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Physalis crassifolia is a wide-ranging perennial herb found in gravelly or sandy slopes, washes, roadsides, mesas, and canyons. It occurs in southwestern North America from Utah and Arizona to California in the United States south to Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora, Mexico, and introduced in Australia. There are over 1100 estimated occurrences. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Physalis crassifolia occurs in southwestern North America from Utah and Arizona to California in the United States south to Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora, Mexico, and introduced in Australia (FNA 2023). Range extent was estimated to be over 1.2 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1984 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 1,100 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range and large number of occurrences.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Physalis crassifolia grows in "gravelly or sandy slopes, washes, roadsides, mesas, [and] canyons" at 100 to 1700 m elevation (FNA 2023).

Reproduction

This species flowers nearly year-round in areas without frost, though mostly from March to April (FNA 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
BarrensBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
NevadaS4Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
UtahS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (4)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Lovell Summit SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest28,455
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kane MountainDixie National Forest8,013
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 14. Magnoliophyta: Gentianaceae to Hydroleaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 505 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Munz, P.A., with D.D. Keck. 1959. A California flora. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1681 pp.
  6. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).