A quick botany lesson:
If you see a resemblance between Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) and tomatillos or husk tomatoes, it’s because these closely related plants are all members of the nightshade family. The spring flowers are pretty enough, but the real delight of a Chinese lantern plant is the large, red-orange, inflated seed pod from which the plant gets its common name. These papery pods enclose a fruit that is edible though not very tasty. While the leaves and unripened fruit are poisonous, many people like to make use of the pods in dried flower arrangements.
