Chinese Lantern - Strawberry Ground Cherry - Physalis Alkekengi v Franchetii - Exotic Edible Frui...

Physalis alkekengi (Bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese lantern, or Winter cherry) Japanese, is a relative of P. peruviana (Cape Gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble Chinese lanterns. It is native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 4060 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves 612 cm long and 49 cm broad. The flowers are white, with a five-lobed corolla 1015 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 45 cm long and broad. Dried fruit of Physalis alkekengi is called as Kaknaj in the Unani system of medicine and used as diuretic, antiseptic, liver corrective and sedative.