- Janet R. Sullivan
Ph.D. University of Oklahoma
Angiosperm Systematics
Solanaceae
Flora of New England
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Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Angiosperm Systematics |
| My research specialization is the systematics of the “physaloid genera” in the Solanaceae (nightshade family). I am also interested in pollination biology and the flora of New England. |
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I have served as Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora, Journal of the New England Botanical Club since 1996. Rhodora is a journal of botany devoted to the flora of North America and floristically related areas. It has been in publication since 1898. More information on the journal and the New England Botanical Club can be found here. |
| My most recent research has been on the systematics of Physalis and related genera in the Solanaceae. I am preparing the treatments of Physalis (including Margaranthus) and Quincula for the Flora of North America. My treatment of the Physalis species of the southeastern United States was published recently (Rhodora 106: 305-326. 2004). |  |
| Currently, I teach Systematic Botany (PBIO 566) during the spring semester. In this course, students learn about angiosperm evolution and classification, as well as the characteristics of representative flowering plant families. In the lab portion of the course, we cover plant family characteristics and identification. When there is sufficient demand, I offer Summer Flora of New Hampshire (PBIO 668) during the summer session . In this course students learn plant characteristics and identification in the context of the habitats and plant communities within the state. | |
Common names of Physalis in California:
ground cherry, husk tomato |
Description of Physalis Linnaeus. For the eastern U.S.:
Annual or rhizomatous perennial herbs. Stems erect or weakly decumbent; branched; glabrous to densely pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate or falsely opposite. Leaf blade lanceolate to broadly ovate; glabrous to densely pubescent; apex acuminate to blunt; margins entire to dentate; base unequal, truncate-cordate to rounded-attenuate; petiolate or sessile. Flowers perfect; radially symmetrical; in all but one species solitary in leaf axils; pedicellate; pendant. Calyx campanulate; enlarged and inflated in fruit, becoming reticulate-membranous and bladder-like, completely enclosing the berry; lobes 5, connivent, scarcely enlarged in fruit. Corolla 5-angulate or obscurely 5-lobed; yellow or white, often with 5 darker spots or smudges in the throat; campanulate-rotate; plicate in bud. Stamens 5; yellow, blue, or tinged blue or purple; inserted near the base of the corolla tube; anther sacs opening longitudinally. Ovary 2-celled; style elongate, slender; stigma minute. Fruit an edible berry; green, orange, or purple; enclosed within the inflated fruiting calyx except in some populations of the cultivated tomatillo. Seeds numerous; light brown; reniform, flattened; surface finely pitted; ca. 2 mm long. About 75 species worldwide, primarily in the Neotropics. Species boundaries are often poorly defined. Some specimens are difficult to determine from preserved material, and field knowledge of the plants is essential. Several species are cultivated for ornament or food; garden escapes can persist for several years. |
