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Ground Cherries, Horse Nettle, and look alikes?

 
pollinator
Posts: 240
Location: Michigan, USA
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I've been working around the pasture and hayfield, getting to know my plant neighbors a bit better.  I found and ID'ed horse nettles... then pulled what I could find - it did not sound like they had any redeeming qualities to allow them to grow where I have livestock/livestock food.
I also found a bunch of plants that have fruit that look like my tomatillos, but the plants are fuzzy.  They are growing alongside the turkey pen- big plants outside the pen, small plants trying to grow in the pen.  I mowed most of the big plants as I am trying to beat back the brush to keep predators at bay.  At the time, I did not know what they were.  I went and tried to ID them... pretty sure that they are ground cherries... if so, I'd be glad to let them be if they are a neighbor I can eat.  

So my question is, are there any "look alikes" to ground cherries that I have to watch out for?  These have the paper husk covered fruits, yellow blossoms, and the leaves are sort of fuzzy.  I probably ruined any crop for this year by mowing (they were not ripe), but I want to be more informed next year.

Any advice?  Thanks all.  

 
gardener
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the biggest lookalike is pretty different if you actually look closely, which it sounds like you are! compare to Nicandra physalodes.
 
Thomas Dean
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SO, I'm pretty sure it's Physalis heterophylla, an edible ground cherry.  Range maps show it as being in my area (michigan) and the habitat matches, as well as the description of the parts of the plant.
https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=2704

I'm not going to encourage it's growth, since the plant (aside from ripe fruit) is toxic to livestock (and it's growing against and in a poultry pen, not far from a cattle pasture) but I probably won't mow it down next summer.  
 
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