Favoritos de m_whitson

How to ID P filiformis vs P virginiana without flowers:

This is a patch of P filiformis hiding among P virginiana. Fortunately even without flowers, you can tell the two species apart from these features.

LEAF MARKING:
-P filiformis has a dark chevron that stays on the leaves after they have matured. This dark chevron extends almost all the way to the edge of the leaf
-P virginiana leaves often have a fainter blotchy chevron marking while they are younger, but this chevron fades as the leaves mature. The chevron does NOT extend to the edge of the leaf; it’s confined to the middle ~50% of the leaf.

LEAF SHAPE:
-P filiformis leaves are widest at the middle of the leaf or above (elliptic to obovate)
-P virginiana leaves are widest at or below the middle of the leaf (ovate)

HAIRS ON STEMS:
-Both species have long hairs on the ochrea (papery sheath around the stem where the leaf attaches), but only P. filiformis has long spreading hairs on the stems between nodes.

Bonus: P. filiformis leaves tend to be a lighter shade of green and hairier on the top surface than P. virginiana, but those details are really only easily seen if comparing the two side-by-side.

This is the second consecutive year I have observed this species ( identified by @m_whitson ) and in almost exactly the same location. Although the species is associated with False Indigo, from my two observations it appears to like Boneset. According to Inat, this is only the third observation in Kentucky.

La lista de verificación de la Biosfera Chamela-Cuixmala indica la presencia de P. maxima. Los siguientes estados son sinónimo de P. pruinosa:http://floradejalisco.cucba.udg.mx/CFJ_16_Solanaceae-Physalis.pdf

Costa beyond R1 area the same color as remainder of wing, no continuous light area from R1 to apical crescent, no broad, continuous whitish band nearly width of stigma before end of R1; apical crescent not interrupted; head without a narrow whitish band extending from oral margin of gena obliquely along lower margin of eye and across postgena to comb; apical crescent wide, extending above R2+3, nearly width of R5 cell below M1+2; wing length twice width, stigmal length twice width; spots of wing distinct, no lighter band near base of wing; subapical, unpunctated brown band as wide as apical crescent, costa without spots beyond R1 area; R1 light area extending wedge­ like into R1 cell; body slightly reddish to yellow-brown; larger species, wing length more than 5.0-7.5 mm. Stoltzfus, 1974