Margaranthus solanaceus Schlechtendal, Index Seminum (Halle) 1838: 8. 1838.

Herbs annual, taprooted, sparsely pubescent to ± gla­brous, hairs simple, antrorse, appressed, to 0.5 mm. Stems erect, branching from near base and at most nodes, branches spreading, distal internodes congested, 1–18 dm. Leaves petiolate; petiole mostly 1/2 as long as blade; blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, (1–)2–4.5(–7) × 1–3(–4) cm, base unequal, margins entire to irregularly sinuate or with 1+ large teeth. Pedicels 1.5–3 mm, 3–5 mm in fruit. Flowers: calyx 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes 0.5–1 mm; corolla deep purple, rarely greenish or yellowish with 5 very large purple spots visible through corolla, urceolate, bulging beyond calyx, 2.5–4.5 mm; anthers yellow to purple, not twisted after dehiscence, 1 mm; style sometimes exserted. Fruiting calyces nearly filled by berry, 5-ribbed, not sharply angled, 8–17 × 6–13 mm. 2n = 24.

Flowering (Jun–)Aug–Oct(–Dec). Grasslands, pinyon-oak-juniper woodlands, disturbed areas, weedy fields, along streams; 10–2100 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Tex.; Mexico.

Congested internodes on the distal portions of plants of Physalis solanacea give the superficial appearance of multiple leaves or flowers at a single node. It is wide­spread in Mexico except for Baja California (north and south).