Chinese Lantern Plant, Strawberry Ground Cherry

On Apr 7, 2016, malsprower from Daytona, FL wrote:

These plants struggle a bit in the Florida coastal environment, they seem to do better up north, I have had them for almost a year and I have not had a single flower on them yet and they seem stunted in growth, however I won't stop loving these guys. They do spread via rhizomes and I find that interesting to watch, they are nothing compared to the nasty rhizomes of saint Augustine grass, also I am growing Florida native Walter ground cherry and they ALSO have rhizomes, yet they look totally different. The delicate foliage of alkekengi is very very sensitive to the hot sun and wilts quickly in the heat. I hope someday my alkekengi can start dominating my garden and look beautiful with the red lanterns.

Update: the plants I have in the back died from the heat and many bugs th... read moreat love it, including scale, mealy bugs, leafminers, aphids, thrips, nematodes, and the constantly dry soil. The plants in the front are living in red mulch and were deformed by a mealybug infestation. However these plants prove strong and continue to spread. I have had no luxury to see the flowers or fruit yet, and that fact is making me miss home (Vermont) even more, where the lanterns flourished. I am hopeful that these plants will do better in the coming fall. In my neck of the woods, I am desperate to grow anything that's prolific because the conditions here are horrendous, we have no shade and had a severe drought this past summer. I have gone so far as to growing cactus. Also the wild persimmons and hack-berries have not fruited this year at all because of the harsh summer.

On Jun 29, 2014, Clint07 from Bethlehem, PA wrote:

Yes, it's as invasive as the thug Chameleon Plant, but I keep it in one of my flower beds because the orange lanterns provide color late in the season when there's not much else to look at. It's about the last stage of the seasonal succession of ornamental display. I am a lazy gardener, but the many explorers it sends out in all directions are not hard to pull up.

On May 18, 2013, SSGJ from Los Angeles, CA wrote:

The previous owners of our house planted these around the perimeter of our yard. They were beautiful until...we have been here three years and they are putting a stranglehold on everything in the yard. They grow straight through everything else and things are so tangled and crazy that you cannot tell which plant the branches are coming from. Its horrible. I agree with the other post that wouldn't wish these on anyone. We have spent days cutting them back and trying to get our orange and grapefruit trees out of their clutches. DO NOT PLANT!!!!! There are pages and pages about this plant online that don't mention how wicked they are. WHY OH WHY?!!!

On Apr 7, 2012, grassroot from South Elgin, IL wrote:

Wanted to get info on how to get my chinese lanterns to ripen.
Get lots of green lanterns but usually don't ripen. See lots of
hints on how to cultivate. Thanks

On Sep 30, 2011, susanpanse from Mechanicstown, NY wrote:

My plants do not turn orange. Can anyone advise? Thank you.

On Jun 21, 2011, thetripscaptain from Durango, CO wrote:

One seed in the garden has produced a lateral root system that I will never get rid of lol. As everyone said above this is really invasive due to its root system. These are coming up in the lawn next to the flower bed, so the lateral roots of Physalis are obviously strong enough to push through grass roots.

It's not a terribly attractive plant either, for most of the season. Only the orange seed pods are attractive. The flowers are like pepper flowers, and the leaves are like any other weedy nightshade.

Does not do good in containers because it needs to root.

On Oct 5, 2010, CDP from Rochester, NY wrote:

Physalis,or Cape Gooseberry are edible.Do not mix it up with the many varieties of this plant because some are poisonous.Make sure that what you have is Physalis or cape Gooseberry.
This plant's fruits are a delicacy in France and Latin America. It is often used in desserts and as garnish. A friend of mine recently used it as garnish for her daughter's baby shower.It is very common in Brazil (I'm Brazilian).

for more information go to this site :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis

On May 30, 2010, bjt1t2t3 from Harris, MN wrote:

If only I had known... My grandmother had Chinese Lanterns in her garden when I was a very young child. I thought these flowers were so wonderful when I was young, that I decided to plant ONE Chinese Lantern plant in my Butterfly Garden. HUGE HUGE HUGE MISTAKE!!! I only wish I would have researched this plant BEFORE I planted it!!! Had I known it was EXTREMELY INVASIVE, I would NEVER have planted it! From one plant a year ago, this plant has now taken over my Butterfly Garden and I CANNOT get rid of it!!!! I have tried everything to get rid of this invasion plant, yet it keeps growing! I worked so hard on my Butterfly Garden to choose just the right plants and make it a beautiful garden -- and now I have this horrible plant to deal with!!!! It has literally taken over the garden an... read mored no matter what I do, I cannot kill it. I wouldn't wish this plant on ANYONE!!! Now that I know, I would NEVER recommend that anyone plant this in their garden, and I wish every garden center would put a huge sign on this plant to let unsuspecting gardeners know that it will take over their garden in no time. I now really dislike this plant and would do almost anything to get rid of it!!! If only I had known....

On Jan 30, 2010, anjay from Beaverton, OR wrote:

is the chinese lantern plant the same as the poha fruit i've seen in hawaii?

On May 20, 2009, stormyla from Norristown, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:

Not that I want to encourage anyone to plant this bully, just wanted to answer a question here. In Paris I had a lovely cocktail garnished with a strange fruit encased in a paper lantern. I've since realized it was this fruit. They called it a "Cockie". It was a very mild tasting cherry like fruit. I ripped this out of my garden for 3 years and tried many chemicals on it. So far it's not appeared this year. Maybe the very frozen winter eliminated it. I never planted it, a seed must have come in from some nursery pot. It popped up in a 6 foot radius despite constant pulling and twice completely digging and changing all of the soil.

On Jul 30, 2008, donicaben from Ogdensburg, NY wrote:

Bought seeds for this off of eBay. The seeds probably weren't all that great. I tried to start about 30 of them in peat pellets and only ten sprouted. After transplanting them only two survived (and are now flowering). I honestly hope that they're as invasive as some claim because they're in an area that's overrun with creeping charlie.

I'd much rather have these.

I will let the little lanterns fall to the ground this fall and wintersow. Looking forward to having them around my porch. :-)

On May 11, 2006, Amphibian from Royal Tunbridge Wells,
United Kingdom wrote:

According to Plants for a Future database, physalis alkekengi are edible!

On Jul 31, 2005, Pashta from Moncks Corner, SC (Zone 8b) wrote:

I have read in a couple of books that this plant does well potted, which would eliminate the need to constantly weed it out of your garden. This is the route I am going, and so far so good. The little plants grew quickly once they sprouted, and it looks as though they will need bigger pots soon. I am thinking of planting them INSIDE a sturdy container, then planting the container in the ground, much the same way you would for bamboo to keep it from getting out of control. Hopefully that works, and I dont end up with a menace on my hands. Really I just want the branches and lanterns for drying, so hopefully I get my wish!

On Oct 1, 2004, blondemommyof2 from Lititz, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:

i liked the way it looked so i bought some seeds but i didn't know it could be poisonus anyhow i found out it's only poisonus if the berries aren't ripe a site says you can cook or eat the ripe berrys so i'm not sure how all of that is i am not eating it though! just looks nice.. and i still like it

On Oct 23, 2003, ecobotanist from Plymouth, CA wrote:

Caution should be exercised with Physalis: there are some 80 species; and, they are very often confused. Many people lump them together as ground cherries; but, this could get you into trouble. The toxins in the fruit are rendered safe by cooking; and, ripe fruit is safe. The calyces are toxic; so, be certain to clean the fruit thoroughly. Gastroenteritis is the most likely consequence of making an error. The ever popular tomatillo is one of these plants.

In summary, I enjoy the fruit; but, I have to be careful about others (pets, livestock) eating the unripe fruit. Adverse: these really are aggressive, weedy plants.

On Oct 12, 2003, Thaumaturgist from Rockledge, FL (Zone 10a) wrote:

This is known as Florida Ground Cherry in Florida.

It is so invasive that once it shows up in your yard, total elimination becomes a continuous, monumental but imposible task.

This and its cousin Physalis peruviana (Cape Gooseberry or Goldenberry), have escaped any and all types of control earning a nickname "Escape Artist".

It appears however, that what Gloriana has is the Physalis peruviana and NOT the Physalis alkekengi. Her description of the color and the taste clearly direct us towards the Cape Gooseberry, a fruit highly prized by the Portuguese. And that is why it is routinely sold in Portuguese markets.

Final verification can come from her local Goanese (Indians from Goa of Portuguese ancestry) population. Their name fo... read morer the Cape Gooseberry is "Chirputtam" or "Fizalis".

On Sep 7, 2001, Joy from Kalama, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:

Papery orange lanterns appear in late summer and are excellent in fresh and dried arrangements.