[Wikipedia] Range, Uses: It is native to North America, where it is native to eastern Canada, much of the continental United States,[1] and northern Mexico. It has also been noted as an introduced species in other regions,[3] including parts of the United States outside its native range. In some areas, such as California, it is an occasional noxious weed.[4][5] Uses The yellow-green fruit is edible. The fresh fruit "tastes like an effervescent, under-ripened strawberry", and the dried berry "tastes like a cross between a raisin and dried cranberry."[2] Native American groups used it for food. The Puebloan peoples called the fruits charoka and shuma charoka and ate them fresh or cooked.[2] The Zuni people referred to the plant and its relative Physalis hederifolia as Ke’tsitokia, and probably used them in similar ways. Women grew it in household gardens. The tomato-flavored berry was boiled and ground with onion, coriander, and chilis to make a dish considered to be a delicacy. The fruit was also dried and mixed into flour for bread. Today the Zuni use the closely related common tomatillo (P. philadelphica) in a sauce recipe derived from the traditional dishes that used wild species.[2] P. longifolia is easy to grow in trials and produces a flavorful fruit.[2] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[blogs.cdfa.ca.gov] Noxious weed designation: Physalis virginiana var. sonorae, a synonym of Physalis longifolia (USDA GRIN, 2022), has been previously rated A by the CDFA and is designated as a noxious weed as defined by the California Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Section 5004 and is listed in Title 3, California Code of Regulations (CCR), Section 4500. A pest risk proposal is needed to assess the current status and rating of this taxon. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)