As the husk breaks down, they leave a very fine lattice work with a bright reddish-orange “cherry” inside. The fruits will stay hidden inside the calyx until they start to break down in the winter months. Late in the summer months or early autumn, the husks turn from a green color to a bright reddish-orange, and this makes them look like miniature paper lanterns, and this is where the Chinese lantern plant got the name. Small green husks will start to grow, and inside them, the seeds start to mature as they’re hidden. The main visual interest for this plant starts when the little white flowers turn to fruit. The flowers on this plant are very inconspicuous as they are yellowish-white, small, and star-shaped. It gets around 30 inches tall at full maturity, and it has a two or three foot-spread. They produce alternate medium green leaves that grow to be roughly three inches long. Before we talk about the husks themselves, let’s dive into the other features this deciduous plant offers so you’ll know what to expect. Just like the tomatillo and ground cherry, the Chinese lantern plant grows the fruits in an enclosed papery husk or calyx. It’s a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, and the Chinese lantern plant is also related to tomatoes, petunias, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. It was originally classified as Physalis alkekengi, and it has a strong family resemblance to the Physalis genus, particularly the tomatillo and ground cherry. The Chinese lantern plant is officially known as Alkekengi officinarum, and it’s a herbaceous perennial that is hardy in zones three to nine. Chinese Lantern Plant Common Diseases and Pests.The Chinese lantern plant is a very popular option to add to fall gardens for a bright pop of color. The fruits, both the seed pods and berries, and the plant’s leaves are highly toxic. It will reach full maturity and bloom within the first season of growth. You want to plant them during the spring month after the frost recedes for the year. Getting rid of them is a challenging task too. This is why it’s a good idea to grow them in containers to keep them from invading your property. It can easily overrun your garden beds if you don’t keep it in check and sprout into turfgrass. The plants produce a two-inch wide papery pod that is a protective cover for the fruit and flower, and it’s called a calyx.īefore you plant your Chinese lantern plant in your garden, you should know that it is an aggressive grower that will spread very quickly using reseeding and underground rhizomes. The signature lanterns on this plant are actually seed pods that start out green before maturing to a bright orange at the end of the growing season. Summertime brings about small but insignificant bell-shaped flowers, and the fall brings in the real appeal to the Chinese lantern plant. It’s a clump-forming plant that produces medium-green leaves that are three inches long. The Chinese lantern plant is a hardy perennial that gives you colorful visual interest in the fall, and you can grow it in containers or in the ground without issues.
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