SOLANACEAE (NIGHTSHADE FAMILY) 369 
open racemose clusters, on prickly peduncles from the side of the 
stem, the corolla wheel-shaped, nearly an inch broad, golden yel- 
low, its five lobes slightly irregular, the stamens and the style 
declined; the lowest of the five stamens much longer than the 
others and with an incurved beak ; calyx densely prickly, becoming 
the bur that encloses the fruit. The plant frequently becomes 
a tumbleweed, distributing its burs as it rolls before the winds. 
Means of control 
Prevent seed production. Being annual the weed can readily 
be suppressed if it is persistently cut or pulled while in early flower. 
Other tasks may well be postponed for a day or two in order to 
rid the ground of so undesirable a tenant. 
MEXICAN GROUND CHERRY 
Phgsalis txzocdrpa, Brotero 
Other English names: Strawberry Tomato, Tomatillo. 
Introduced. Annual. Propagates by seeds. 
Time of bloom: July to September. 
Seed-time: Late August to November. 
Range: Southern and Southwestern States; cultivated for its 
fruit, and freely escaping. Local farther north. 
Habitat: Rich soil; fields and waste places. 
The fruit of this plant has a pleasant flavor, either in the fresh 
state or when used in catsups and sauces; birds also like the fruit 
and void the seeds unharmed, and in this and other ways the plant 
often becomes a troublesome weed. 
Stem one to nearly three feet in length, much branched, at first 
erect but later drooped and spreading, woody at base, angled, 
smooth except for sparse hairiness on growing branchlets. Leaves 
long-ovate, pointed, coarsely wavy-toothed or entire, the base 
wedge-shaped and tapering to a slender petiole. Flowers solitary, 
springing from the side of the stem slightly above the axils; corolla 
bell-shaped, five-lobed, about a half-inch broad, yellow with pur- 
plish throat; stamens five, erect, with anthers separate; calyx 
at first short and spreading, but as the fruit begins to form it 
2B 
