This plant is an annual here in zone 4b. In dry, sandy soil it grows only about 12 inches before flowering, but in moist compost, as in the photo below, it grows well over 5 ft tall. The stems are hollow. The serrated leaves have tiny spots on them. The light purple flowers appear late summer/early autumn, followed by fruit very similiar to husk tomato or ground cherry. I believe the genus to be Physalis, but have been unable to find any Physalis, via internet research, with flowers of this color. Any ideas?
Yes I agree. Commonly called shoofly plant, it is related to Physalis. Here is an interesting link: http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/shoofly_plant.htm
Thanks, Ron and Eric, for clearing up this mystery, and thanks, Eric, for the wonderfully informative link!
