Japanese-lantern is a perennial grown for its papery orange "lanterns": after the flower fades, the swells into a husk about 1½–2 in (4–5 cm) long that wraps a bright orange-red berry. Native to Europe and Asia, it is a garden plant in the US that occasionally escapes into waste places. It is also called Chinese lantern or winter cherry.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial that spreads by underground stems (), usually standing 16–36 in (40–90 cm) tall.
- Leaves
- Oval leaves on stalks, about 2½–4½ in (6–12 cm) long.
- Flowers
- Small white flowers about ⅝ in (1.5 cm) across grow singly from where the leaves meet the stem.
- Fruit
- The bright orange husk is about 1½–2 in (4–5 cm) long and wide and holds a round orange-red berry full of small seeds.
Look-alikes
Ground cherriesPhysalis
Ground cherry husks turn light beige to tan as the fruit ripens, while Japanese-lantern husks turn bright orange to red.
Why they get mixed upBoth hide a berry inside a papery husk, and some ground cherries are also called "Chinese lantern."
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Waste places
- Roadsides
- Range
- Native from southern Europe through southern Asia to Northeast Asia. In the US it is mainly a garden plant; it occasionally escapes into disturbed ground, with escaped plants reported in the Northeast, for example in New York.
- Preferred conditions
- Very cold-hardy, surviving winters below −4 °F (−20 °C).
Growing it
- Care
- A popular ornamental for dried flower arrangements. Its far-reaching roots can send up shoots well away from where it was planted, so it can take over a bed if not contained.
- Toxicity
- Not grown as food. The rhizome contains compounds that can make the uterus contract, and the whole plant carries small amounts of toxic compounds, so it is not something to nibble on.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Older books list this plant as Physalis alkekengi. The East Asian form, the one common in Japanese and Korean gardens, is treated as a variety, var. franchetii.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Japan the lanterns decorate home altars during the summer Bon festival, and a lantern-plant market is held every July 9–10 at Sensō-ji temple in Tokyo.
- It has been used in traditional medicine for about 2,000 years and appears in ancient Chinese texts.
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