Flower:

Clusters of 2 to 4 stalked flowers arising from the upper leaf axils, the flowers rotated, facing out or nodding. Flowers are 1 to 1½ inches across, saucer-shaped with 5 fused petals, white to creamy colored with pale yellow to brownish yellow spots on the inside at the base of the throat, and short-hairy on the outer surface. In the center are 5 short stamens and a single style.

The calyx cupping the flower is bowl-shaped with 5 narrowly triangular lobes about as long as the calyx tube. Flower stalks are about ½ inch long. The calyx and stalks are densely covered in short, sticky glandular hairs mixed with long non-glandular hairs.

Leaves and stems:

Leaves are 2 to 5 inches long, lance to egg-shaped with a pointed tip, toothless, slightly wavy around the edges, and stalked. Stems are ridged, more or less erect, and branched. Leaves, stalks and stems are all densely covered in a mix of short glandular and long non-glandular hairs.

Fruit:

The calyx persists and enlarges as fruit develops, remaining open at the tip with the fruit nearly filling the expanded calyx tube. Fruit is a round to oval berry about ½ inch in diameter.

Notes:

Large False Ground Cherry is an uncommon species, rare in much of its range which spans from Québec to Alberta in Canada and into Great Lakes states in the US. It has a preference for disturbed sandy or gravelly soils such as those found along roadsides, gravel pits, and clear-cut areas. It's only been recorded about 8 times in Minnesota during the past 50 years, mostly in areas recently clear-cut or burned but, according to Michigan Flora, won't persist more than a few years unless the disturbance is maintained. It is currently not considered rare in Minnesota but is tracked by the DNR; it is listed as a Special Concern species in Wisconsin. It somewhat resembles true Ground Cherry (Physalis) species, which have pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers and an inflated, papery wrapping on their fruit.