Physalis alkekengi Seeds - Chinese lantern

Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii, better known as Chinese Lantern or Winter Cherry, is a vigorous herbaceous perennial that possesses the temperament of a conqueror and displays truly unique fruits. Its insignificant flowers recall the plant's kinship with tomatoes or potatoes. It flaunts hanging calyces along its floral stems that resemble Japanese lanterns. Light green at first, they turn a very bright orange by the end of summer. They linger throughout the autumn, trapping the last rays of strong light of the season. This old-time favourite will thrive in all types of soils, provided that it benefits from much sunlight. Its exuberance is a real asset for large, somewhat wild spaces or gardens without gardeners, but it must be contained. Otherwise, it can become quite invasive. Its orange 'flowers' are in fact the envelope of its fruits and are very beautiful in dry bouquets.

Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii belongs to the family Solanaceae which becomes obvious when observing its modest flowering. This perennial is native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean basin, but is also found spontaneously in India, Japan and Africa. It develops from a wide-spreading root system and grows into dense-leaved clumps that reach 60 cm in height and in width. This plant quickly colonizes the space allotted to it. Summer flowering is very discreet, appearing in July-August, in the form of small creamy flowers with a yellow centres, distributed along the flower stems. The round fruit develops at the same time as the bracts that surround it. The latter forms a closed, heart-shaped, papery envelope. It is light green at first before turning bright orange and measures 4 cm wide and 5 cm long. The physalis presents 8 cm long, simple, narrow, cordate, deeply veined, wavy, pure green leaves. 

Chinese lantern is the perfect plant to fill out and decorate the more barren spots of the garden. Its vigour, hardiness and its ability to adapt to poor quality soil make it a good candidate to decorate large slopes. Associate it with other robust plants such as tansy, Stachys lanata, Cerastium tomentosum, lavender cotton, yarrow, love-in-a-mist or ornemental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Phalaris arundinacea that will enhance its colours and bushy habit. To contain the development of its rhizomes, plant in the borders of walkways or up against concrete fencing. Dry, hot climates limit its growth. This long-time garden favourite produces masses of stems covered with magnificent lanterns whose orange colour does not fade in dried flower bouquets. Lastly, the ripe fruits can be eaten in fruit salads but only in small quantities since they are an efficient laxative.

Physalis is also a medicinal plant, used to treat rheumatism, coughs, etc...