Clammy goundcherry is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North America in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. and native to North America. In their native habitat, they are found growing in open woodlands, thickets, disturbed sites, or sandy prairies. They have erect hairy green stems and typically grow to a height of 1 to 2 feet and a width of 1 to 3 feet. The ripe fleshy fruits are edible, but the rest of the plant is poisonous. The yellow bell-shaped flowers with purple spots on the petals appear in the leaf axils and hang downward. Fruits that follow are enclosed in a decorative tan husk. The main identifying characteristic of this plant is the glandularly pubescence of the stem and leaves and the thick rhizomes that run horizontally from the stem. There are 4 varieties, differentiated by the venation and margin of the leavesThis plant is easily propagated by seed or can be divided. This plant does best in slightly moist to dry areas in loam, sand, or rocky soils in full or partial sun. Most herbivores will not eat the plant due to the high content of solanum in the leaves and unripe fruit but it has caused poisoning of cattle. Use this plant in naturalized areas, woodland garden or possibly an edible garden. . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Caterpillars can sometimes consume fruits before they mature.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Cordate; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire; Undulate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Yellow-green, hairy simple, alternate heart-shaped to broadly lanceolate leaves 4" long and 3" wide with dentate, entire or undulate margins. Base is rounded to heart-shaped and tip is pointed.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Bell; Funnel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Funnel-shaped drooping flowers with 5 fused petals emerge singly from leaf axils and are yellow on the outside and yellow on the inside with purplish markings starting at the base of the petal. There are 5 sepals and 5 stamens with yellow anthers and purple filaments. The calyx and stem are covered in fine white hairs. Each flower is 3/4- 1 inch wide and blooms occur in summer for about 2 months.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
After flowering, the hairy sepals elongated and fuse to become a latern or inverted tear drop shaped papery husk containing a single 1/3- 1/2 inch fruit that has several seeds. They are green initially but become yellow at maturity in mid to late summer.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Hairy green round stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
AL , AR , AZ , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY Canada: MB , ON , PE , QC , SK
Wildlife value
Various upland gamebirds and small mammals eat the mature fruit. Bees will visit the flowers.
Attracts
Bees; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
The fruit is bitter but edible only when mature. Eat fresh, cooked into pies or jams, or dried.
Symptoms include headache, stomach pain, lowered temperature, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, circulatory and respiratory depression, loss of sensation.
Toxic principle
Solanine and other solanidine alkaloids
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Stems