P. angulata is an annual herbaceous plant, branched erect, with tap-roots, angled and hollow stems growing up to 1-2 m in height, although there are reports of plants growing only up to 50 cm tall (South Australia, 2012). It is usually hairless (glabrous);however, occasional plants have short hairs, especially on the younger parts (Hall et al., 1991).
Related invasive species
- Physalis angulata
Related Farm Practice
- Hosts
P. angulata is a herbaceous annual species of American origin which has been very widely introduced across many tropical, subtropical and warmer temperate regions. It is often characterized as a pantropical invasive weed of crops, gardens and plantations, although in many regions it has naturalized (such as Central America, Africa, India and Pacific islands) (Raju et al., 2007). It is a host of the causal agent of tomato bacterial spot Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, as well as viruses found in tobacco, potato, okra, capsicum pepper, lucerne, beans and several other crops, physalis mottle virus (PhyMV), and also several root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). It is used in the traditional treatment of a wide variety of disease and consequently can be an economically beneficial plant. No detailed analysis of its impacts has been conducted.
P. angulata has been found growing in maize, cotton and soybean fields and is now considered to be a widely-distributed invader in corn fields in Greece (Travlos et al., 2010;Travlos, 2012).