Chinese lantern flower
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Chinese lantern flower ( Physalis alkekengi var. Franchetii ) |
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| Physalis alkekengi | ||||||||||||
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The lantern flower ( Physalis alkekengi ) is a species of the bladder cherries ( Physalis ) in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The common name lampion flower is derived from the lampion-like calyx that surrounds the fruit and which is intensely colored when ripe . It is sometimes used as an ornamental plant.
description
Appearance and foliage leaf
The lantern flower is a summer green, perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 40 to 80 centimeters. Their rhizomes are hardy in Central Europe. The upright, partly prostrate stems , sometimes somewhat woody at their base, are blunt-edged, not very branched and mostly hairy. Cultivars , for example the variety Physalis alkekengi var franchetii, can reach heights of growth of up to 100 centimeters.
Usually two leaves stand together. The petiole has a length of 1 to 3 centimeters. The simple leaf blade is narrow to broadly ovate with a length of 5 to 15 centimeters and a width of 2 to 8 centimeters with a blunt unequal blade base and pointed at the top. The leaf margin is smooth, roughly serrated or sometimes noticeably unevenly lobed delta-shaped. The leaf surfaces are hairy or bald or downy.
Flower, fruit and seeds
The flowering period extends from July to October. The 0.6 to 1.6 centimeter long flower stalk is bare, downy or shaggy hairy and slightly curved, so that the rather inconspicuous flowers hang down. The blooms stand individually. The hermaphrodite flowers are five-fold, almost radially symmetrical with a double flower envelope . The five approximately 6 millimeter long sepals are fused bell-shaped and densely hairy. The five petals are fused bell-shaped to wheel-shaped, have a diameter of 1.5 to 2 centimeters and are white with greenish or yellowish eyes. The five stamens are yellow. There is an overhead , two-chamber ovary and a thread-like cylindrical stylus that is slightly thickened towards the top .
After the flower has been fertilized, the petals are first thrown off. The five somewhat leathery sepals then enlarge with increasing fruit ripeness, so that they almost close and an egg-shaped, lantern-like, ten-ribbed calyx with a length of 2.5 to 4 centimeters and a width of 2 to 3.5 centimeters around the developing Form berry. When ripe, this shell turns yellow, orange or intense red, depending on the variety.
The fruit stalk has a length of 2 to 3 centimeters. The shiny, orange to scarlet red, sourish-bitter berries have a diameter of about 1 to 1.5 centimeters. They contain a large number of orange to yellowish-white, lenticular to kidney-shaped seeds that have a diameter of about 2 millimeters.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
Toxicity
The green parts of the plant are rated as "slightly toxic".
distribution
The area of origin of Physalis alkekengi can no longer be determined with certainty. It probably comes from the sub-Mediterranean-Eurasian climatic area, so it is native to Southeast Europe and West Asia. Or maybe it comes from China. The species has also been introduced to other parts of the world, such as the northeastern United States.
The lantern flower is considered to be undemanding; in Central Europe it thrives best on loose, slightly calcareous soils . In Central Europe, outside of gardens, it is rarely found in dry bushes, was to be found in alluvial forests , stony heaps and vineyards. Once planted, the underground rhizomes lead to rapid spreading, which is sometimes difficult to control.
Use and toxicity
The lantern flower is used as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens .
After the fruit has ripened, the plant is used as a cut flower , the stems with the red lanterns are often used in dry bouquets. In the floristic dried flowers, playing the Chinese lanterns a role as they in the form of long-lasting dried flowers are also popular decorative objects in dry bouquets and -gestecken.
The seeds provide a semi-drying fatty oil .
Green parts of the plant are slightly poisonous; they contain bitter substances that can irritate the gastrointestinal tract . There are different opinions about the edibility of berries. According to several authors, the ripe fruit should be edible, others classify it as "suspicious of poison". The fruits of Physalis peruviana offered as cape gooseberries are similar to those of the lantern flower, but larger and less intensely colored.
The dried fruit of the lantern flower is called the “golden flower” in Unani medicine, where it is described as antiseptic , diuretic , liver cleansing and calming.
Varieties
- Physalis alkekengi L. var. Alkekengi (Syn .: Physalis alkekengi var. Anthoxantha H.Léveillé , Physalis alkekengi var. Orientalis Pampanini , Physalis ciliata Siebold & Zuccarini , Physalis kansuensis Pojarkova )
- Physalis alkekengi var. Franchetii (Masters) Makino (Syn .: Physalis franchetii Masters , Physalis alkekengi var. Glabripes (Pojarkova) Grubov , Physalis franchetii var. Bunyardii Makino , Physalis glabripes Pojarkova , Physalis praetermissa Pojarkova , Physalis szechuanica Pojarkova )
swell
- Zhi-Yun Zhang, Anmin Lu & William G. D'Arcy: Solanaceae in the Flora of China , Volume 17, p. 311: Physalis alkekengi - Online. (Section description)
- Rasheed NMA, Shareef MA, Ahmad M., Gupta VC, Arfin S., Shamshad AK "HPTLC finger print profile of dried fruit of Physalis alkekengi Linn." . Pharmacognosy Journal 2010 2:12 (464-469)
Individual evidence
- ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 820 .
- ^ University Hospital Bonn; Information center for poisoning by plants: bladder cherry (Physalis alkekengi)
Web links
- Physalis alkekengi L., common bladder cherry. In: FloraWeb.de.
- Chinese lantern flower . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
- Physalis alkekengi L. In: Info Flora , the national data and information center for Swiss flora . Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- Physalis alkekengi at Plants For A Future
- Thomas Meyer: Blasenkirsche data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia ).
- Medicinal plants: Physalis alkekengi - Chinese lantern flower . (German)
- green parts of the plant slightly toxic: Physalis alkekengi - Chinese lantern flower . (German)
