Scientific Name:
Physalis alkekengi
Pronunciation:
fy-SAL-is al-KEK-en-jee
Common Name:
Chinese lantern
Family Name:
Solanaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Leaves ovate, up to 8cm long, margins entire, wavy; flowers nodding, creamy-yellow, about 2.5cm wide; fruit lantern-like, deep orange accessory tissue from calyx, about 5cm long, each enclosing a red berry.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Irregular
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Europe, South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Medicinal plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
White (cream)
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Fruit Type:
Berry (true), Edible
Fruit Colour:
Yellow, Red (red berry inside orange 'lantern' formed by calyx)
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Accessory tissue, Edible, red berry inside orange 'lantern' (formed by the calyx)
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, invasive
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
