Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii(Chinese lantern plant, "Hozuki")
Japanese name: ホオズキ（酸漿、鬼灯、鬼燈） Scientific name:Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii
[Overview]
A perennial 60–90 cm tall.
It has long, creeping rhizomes.
The stem is erect and hardly branches.
The leaves are simple, alternate or borne two at a time at the nodes; they are broadly ovate, 5–12 cm long and 3.5–9 cm wide, with large teeth.
White to cream flowers 1.5 cm across are borne singly in the leaf axils, and the corolla is shallowly 5-lobed.
The fruit is a spherical berry 1–1.5 cm across that ripens red and is enclosed by the enlarged, bladder-like calyx.
The calyx is reddish orange and has 5 ridges.
[Uses]
The fruit and roots are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, moisture-retentive, moderately moist and fertile place.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues and the soil dries out.
From spring until after flowering, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Pests and diseases include southern blight, powdery mildew, Tentomushi-damashi species and Hozuki-kamemushi.
