The Chinese Lantern Plant: Anything but a Nightshade Plant

The Chinese Lantern Plant belongs to the nightshade family. At first glance, that may seem rather inconspicuous. However, the Chinese Lantern Plant is anything but that!

With its heart-shaped, bright orange-red calyx leaves, it adds color to any flowerbed and balcony. This perennial is hardy and, therefore, a reliable companion for the fall.

If you want to add vibrant and colorful hues to your garden in the fall, the Chinese Lantern Plant is a must. Because if there's one name that doesn’t suit this colorful plant, it’s "nightshade." But you can’t always choose your family. However, the Chinese Lantern Plant shows the nightshades how it's done, casting the garden in an orange-red sea of lanterns during the autumn.

If the colorful lanterns aren’t enough, the Chinese Lantern Plant can also be beautifully integrated into plant arrangements or placed in a pot as part of the overall autumn decoration. It pairs especially well with heather in an arrangement. The autumnal colors of both plants complement each other perfectly, creating a calm atmosphere. Add a few decorative pumpkins, and you have the perfect autumn decoration for your garden table or balcony.

As beautiful as the Chinese Lantern Plant is, it should not be confused with its sister, Physalis peruviana. Unlike the Chinese Lantern, the fruits of the Andean berry (as Physalis is also called) are edible. The fruits are rich in vitamin C and have become quite popular in our region. The "fruits" of the Chinese Lantern, on the other hand, are toxic, just like the rest of the plant, and should never be consumed. The bitter compounds in the plant can cause irritation to the digestive tract. While the plant is not highly toxic, it is still safer to eat the fruits of the Andean berry, as they taste better and look almost the same.