Plants with lantern like flowers are beautiful ones that easily become focal points when they are grown together with other beauties. This is mainly due to the uniqueness of their flowers assume shapes that are like lanterns.

5 Plants With Lantern Like Flowers

If you are a lover of distinctive creativity, the flowers of these plants will certainly quench your desire. In this article, we will provide you with a list of plants with lantern-like flowers, as suggested by a team of plant enthusiasts and experts.

The List of Plants With Lantern Like Flowers

1. Physalis Alkekengi

Green Leaves Physalis Alkekengi

Benefit
  • Contains substances that enable it to kill germs that can possibly cause diseases
  • Exhibits anti-inflammatory attributes
  • Has laxative and diuretic properties
Uses
  • Used or treating gout
  • Used to manage coughs, sore throat, and fevers
  • Used for treating diseases that are related to the urinary tract
Distinguishing characteristics
  • Grows up to a height of 24 inches and also assumes the same width
  • Has clad stems
  • Leaves are green, medium-sized, and ovate-rhombic
Care needs
  • Can grow well in partial shade and under full sunlight exposure
  • Prefers soils that are well-draining but with an ability to retain some moisture as well
  • Thrives best when deep irrigation is done after an average of six days every week

The Physalis alkekengi, also known as the Alkekegi officinanum, Chinese lantern, or Japanese lantern, is a perennial that belongs to the nightshade family of plants, which is also known as the Solanaceae family. Keep in midn that the parts of the lantern plant are highly toxic, even the unripe fruit. However, the orange, ripe fruit can be eaten without any negative consequences.

On another note, when you grow this plant, it adds beauty and vividness to your garden, especially when you follow the right requirements for its growth and the little red flowers pop up and look like a string of lights.

Make sure you water it whenever the soil feels dry, because you shouldn’t overwater it, as the soil would weaken. Ensure that the plant is placed under full sunlight and that it grows and thrives.

2. Physalis Peruviana

Heart Shaped Leaves Physalis Peruviana

Benefits
  • Has anticancer and antimalarial characteristics
  • Has antioxidant and antihistamine properties
  • Fruits are great sources of vitamins A, C, and P
Uses
  • Can treat bacterial infections due to its ability to kill disease-causing germs
  • Used to address liver and kidney issues
  • Can be used to treat cancer, dermatitis, and asthma
Distinguishing characteristics
  • Grows as a shrub hat is profusely branched, and grows up to about five inches in height
  • Leaves are heart-shaped and velvety
  • Flowers are usually yellow but have purple-brown spots on the inside
Care needs
  • Does best when grown under the full sun though it can also tolerate exposure to dappled light
  • Soil should be less compacted so that drainage can take place more readily
  • Can be watered daily, especially in hotter climates

Think of the Physalis peruviana as the Cape gooseberry, as it is commonly called. Other names include African ground cherry, husk cherries, Peruvian tomatoes, Poha berries, among many others. While the fruits can be eaten fresh, they can also be dried and cooked.

Your flower garden will look amazing if you include a number of this plant with lantern like flowers. Their outer part is covered with thin leaves that are beige in their color, and they have a little fruit that is between them; when looking at it in the daytime, they look like a lantern with a little candle.

3. Abutilon x Hybrids

Mid Green Leaves Abutilon x Hybrids

Benefits
  • Attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies
  • Used for its anti-inflammatory and laxative properties
  • Used to treat bleeding disorders, gout, ulcers, and tuberculosis
Uses
  • Grown for ornamental reasons
  • Flowers can be consumed raw or cooked
  • Flowers can be prepared as an ingredient in mixed salads
Distinguishing characteristics
  • Are shrubs that grow up to an average height of 9 feet
  • Lantern flower can be white, red, pink, or yellow in color
  • Leaves are mid-green, if they are not variegated
Care needs
  • Highly sensitive to frosty conditions
  • Performs well when grown under the full sun or in partial shade
  • Pruning the plant is necessary

The abutilon x hybrids are also referred to as the Chinese lantern plants though all of their varieties are also called the Indian mallow. These plants are hybrids, which is one of the aspects that are reflected in their name.

This plant grows fast so if you want a lantern plant that will give you the features that you want in less time, the abutilon x hybrids are an option to consider.

When growing them in your garden, these flowers will look like they are hanging in different colors like orange and also pink. It needs pruning once in a while when the plant seems a bit dried up, but make sure that you also protect it from the frosty weather.

4. Nymania Capensis

Leathery Textured Nymania Capensis

Benefits
  • Attracts bumble bees
  • Grown as a garden plant
  • Roots are pounded, boiled in water, and taken to treat breast ailments
Uses
  • Fruit and leaves are used as fodder that is highly nutritious
  • Roots are used for curdling milk because they have an enzyme called rennin
  • When crushed, the leaves can be inhaled to manage headaches
Distinguishing characteristics
  • Leaves are stiff, spear-shaped, and have a leathery texture
  • Flower color is dull red
  • Pollinates during spring
Care needs
  • Requires exposure to a lot of sunlight
  • Sandy and loamy soils that are well-drained are the best medium for optimum growth
  • The hardy perennial tolerates temperatures that are as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 111 degrees Fahrenheit

The fruits that resemble the Chinese lantern flowers have earned the Nymaria capensis plants the leverage to be called Chinese lanterns. The Nymaria capensis plant seeds are contained in pink, puffy seedpods, which partly explains why this plant is grouped with lantern plants.

They are the ones that add such a graceful feature around your garden and would also be beautiful, pink, or lighter shades of pink around. In order to make them thrive, make sure that you expose them to direct sunlight throughout the day, and place them in well-draining soil.

5. Fuschia “China Lantern”

Toothy Leaves Fuschia “China Lantern”

Benefits
  • Attracts hummingbirds
  • Flowers can be added to salads
  • Exhibit antioxidant and antimicrobial attributes
Uses
  • Used for ornamental purposes, especially when grown in containers and hanging baskets
  • Flowers can be eaten, especially by those who prefer subtly acidic and slight;y bitter tastes
  • Flowers are used for garnishing
Distinguishing characteristics
  • Flowers can be red, white, or pale pink
  • Leaves are mid-green and toothy
  • Grows as a shrub
Care needs
  • Requires at least six hours of exposure to direct sunlight and approximately four hours to dappled shade every day
  • Though he soil shield be well-draining, the ability to retain moisture is a plus, as long as the pH remains between 6.6 and 7.3
  • Providing the plant with an inch of water every week is ideal

The growth of the fuschia “China lantern” may need to be boosted by adding fertilizer. Ideally, if you need more foliage growth, fertilizers rich in nitrogen would be your best choice.

Pruning also helps to do away with dead parts that might waste the resources of the plant. Be sure to use sterilized equipment when you prune and also wear gloves so that you protect your plant from microbial or fungal infections.

Conclusion

Plants with lantern-like flowers are a great addition to your garden, especially if you know the ones to work with. Hopefully, you are now in a better position to select the plants that you want to grow but here are some points that will help you to make the final decision:

  • Most of the plants with lantern-like flowers have the ornamental acumen that will give your spaces a unique look.
  • Some of the plants, like Physalis alkekengi, Physalis peruviana, and Fuschia “China lantern,” have medicinal properties that come in handy in treating various conditions, based on their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant properties.
  • The plant parts of the Physalis alkekengi, including the unripe fruits, have toxic effects when consumed.
  • Abutilon x hybrids are fast growers, so they are a great choice if you don’t have much time to wait until you get a mature plant.
  • Some of the plants, such as the Abutilon x hybrids, Nymania capensis, and Fuschia “China lantern,” are attractive to bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

With all the expert advice that you got from this article, there is nothing to restrain you from getting your plant and beautifying your places. Get started and enjoy the escapade! Check out a list of plants that have heart-shaped leaves which will make your garden most interesting!

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