PLATE 20. 
PHYSALIS FRANCHETI. 
The common Winter Cherry or Chinese Lantern (Physalis Alkekengi) is 
such a well-known garden plant that one need not say much in the way of 
introducing a far more brilliant relative in the shape of Physalis Francheti, 
represented in our coloured plate. When this species made its appearance in 
gardens, something over ten years ago, it attracted considerable attention and 
was universally regarded as a gigantic form of the older species. P. Francheti, 
however, is now considered to be a distinct plant. It is a deciduous herbaceous 
perennial, native of Japan, and grows 2 feet or a little more in height, the 
fleshy stems being furnished with broadly ovate and coarsely-toothed leaves. 
The small white potato-like flowers appear during the summer months, but are 
in no way attractive. The beauty of plant does not really develop until the 
autumn. By that time the green calyx has assumed an extraordinary size 
and colour, and droops from the stalks like glowing orange-red bladders which 
have suggested the name of Chinese Lanterns. These bladders are beautifully 
veined and netted and retain their beauty and colour for a considerable time 
after being detached from the plant. In a skeletonised form they are also 
extremely pretty and interesting, and show one clearly how beautifully and 
wonderfully the Creator has made everything. The real fruit of the Physalis 
is enclosed within the ornamental calyx, and resembles a round orange-red 
cherry or small tomato in appearance. 
There is practically no difficulty in regard to the cultivation of either P. 
Francheti or the older P. Alkekengi. Indeed, when they become established, 
it may be necessary to curtail their development, as they ramble, by means of 
the creeping roots, over large spaces. To secure the finest coloured 
“lanterns,” the plants should be grown in rich and well-drained soil, and be 
fully exposed to the sunshine. In this way they become conspicuous objects 
in autumn, when many other plants are far from being at their best. P. 
Francheti may also be grown as a pot-plant, and if kept bushy by pinching 
out the tips of the shoots early in the season, they are ornamental and useful 
for conservatory decoration. 
Propagation is effected either by seeds, cuttings, or division. The seeds 
are best sown in spring, the cuttings of the tops about mid-summer, and 
division of the rootstocks in autumn, or preferably in spring when growth has 
commenced. 
THE SCARLET RANUNCULUS. 
In a recent issue of the “ Gardeners’ Chron¬ 
icle,” Mr. Arthur W. Sutton, of Reading, 
writing from Nazareth, calls attention to the 
wild form of this plant (Ranunculus asiaticus), 
specimens of which he exhibited last year in 
London. The intense scarlet of the blossoms 
on that occasion evoked universal admiration, 
but Mr. Sutton says that they “ do not by any 
means give an adequate idea of the beauty of 
those seen around Nazareth. Not only does 
the locality affect the colour of the blooms 
materially, but the depth of soil has a great 
influence on their size also. On Mount Carmel, 
just across the plain of Esdraelon, flowers fully 
4 inches in diameter, were plentiful, borne on 
stalks 18 to 24 inches in length, 
