What is this??? Sure isn't the Rosemary I planted!!!

Mitziblueyes
by Mitziblueyes
This is coming up where I planted rosemary.., no signs of rosemary at all! Ughh! Hubbie said it's milkweed!
There's little ((???)) hanging from the stems!
  21 answers
  • I believe this is chinese lantern and you want to pull it out ASAP! it is invasive and you will never get rid of it if you don't.
  • Therese C Therese C on Jun 21, 2014
    I could be wrong here, but if memory serves me right, that is NIGHT SHADE! And it is DEADLY! Dig it up right away and pour Roundup into the hole to kill any lingering roots. Wear gloves when removing this plant. Dig it up with a spade, put into a plastic bag and throw it away.
  • Deborah M Deborah M on Jun 21, 2014
    Japanese lanterns
  • Sheila Conlon Sheila Conlon on Jun 21, 2014
    looks like everyone is answering you with lanterns :)
  • Mitziblueyes Mitziblueyes on Jun 22, 2014
    My neighbor stopped by yesterday and said she thought it was a ground cherry and the fruits are edible? I've been looking and noticed that this does little tiny yellow flowers towards the top of the plants. One site showed that you can dip them in chocolate. Ugghhhhh!!!!! Not sure what it is!
  • Mitziblueyes Mitziblueyes on Jun 22, 2014
    Deborah thank you, this looks like it but the pods are still in the green stage. I'm curious to see if the redden up like this.
  • Linny McCauley Linny McCauley on Jun 22, 2014
    Japanese lanterns! Beautiful orange "hanging lantern" type flowers. Not deadly, not Nightshade, and NO ROUNDUP!!!!!! The only think that really is DEADLY!!
  • Luis Luis on Jun 22, 2014
    They do look like Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) if this is what it is they are very invasive as far as I am concern they are a weed even though they are pretty
  • Therese C Therese C on Jun 22, 2014
    The unripened berries of a Chinese Lantern are highly poisonous, they say you can eat the ripe seeds, but who wants to judge when they are truly 'ripe' ? Not me...take a look at this link and you will see why I thought they were Nightshade. There are many copycat plants and a good rule of thumb is (with me) if I don't know what it is, it's gone or verified. Morning Glories are a favorite plant/weed of mine, but they too belong to the nightshade family. Sorry if I offended anyone, just trying to look out for people that maybe have not seen some of the deadly plants out there. http://gloriousconfusion.squidoo.com/poisonous_plants_physalis_deadly_nightshade_castor_oil_plant
  • Mitziblueyes Mitziblueyes on Jun 22, 2014
    Thank u Theresa! However mine doesn't have any berries, just the green pods. Your link was very helpful, thank u for posting.
  • Rhonda Clements Rhonda Clements on Jun 22, 2014
    pull it or let it bloom and see what it is but dont pour roundup anyplace!!! People giving that advice must work for Monsanto
    • Therese C Therese C on Jun 22, 2014
      @Rhonda Clements I assure I do not, nor would I, work for 'that' company. I am just a farm girl that has always used to have to dig up thistle and nightshade to protect the animals and property. We commonly used Thistledown to kill Canadian thistles, but wasn't sure it is strong enough to kill nightshade. So, please, do not misjudge me.
  • Jessica Healey Jessica Healey on Jun 22, 2014
    Tomatillos...? Just a random guess.
  • Ollie Ollie on Jun 22, 2014
    Dig it up and put it in a pot until you know if you want to keep it. Then you can decide if it is worth keeping.
  • Kathy Milam Kathy Milam on Jun 22, 2014
    Definitely a member of the Physalis family, there are quite a few, and yes they are nightshades. But so are tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant. I'm not sure why anyone would get worked up over that fact. They can be invasive, but it looks like you have it potted so that shouldn't be an issue. And if you do decide to get rid of it, please, no RoundUp. Just pull it and let it lay in the sun for a few days to kill the roots. The planet and all of creation will thank you for not poisoning us with more Glyphosate.
    • Therese C Therese C on Jun 22, 2014
      @Kathy Milam my concern was from the standpoint of if there are children or animals around a potentially 'bad' plant. Children are famous for picking 'berries' when they see them, and if they get sick and you didn't see what they ate, you could be in serious trouble trying to figure it out. That was my ONLY concern.
  • Kendra Loftus Kendra Loftus on Jun 22, 2014
    Definitely not nightshade. I have a nightshade growing in my yard and although it is a very beautiful vine, I can't wait to get rid of it. I believe that it is lantern. I'm not sure if it is poisionous though.
  • Molly McMurray Molly McMurray on Jun 22, 2014
    I already see others suggested Chinese Lanterns (hanging) whereas milkweed pods point upward. Monarch butterflies would love you if it was milkweed, though!
  • Myrna Engle Myrna Engle on Jun 22, 2014
    The very first comment is correct in my opinion. They are very hard to dig up if the seeds pop, you will need to dig them as soon as you recognize them.
  • Lucy Fraser Lucy Fraser on Jun 22, 2014
    Looks like Chinese lanterns to me too.
  • Gail Salminen Gail Salminen on Jun 22, 2014
    It doesn't look like milkweed - here is a pic of that plant.http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/common_milkweed.htm It does look like the chinese lantern plant - http://www.perennials.com/plants/physalis-alkekengi.html Your pods will likely turn orange closer to fall. Some people dry these and add them vases for indoors.
  • Sow and Dipity Sow and Dipity on Jun 22, 2014
    It is Chinese Lanterns, they turn a lovely orange in fall. Great for ornamental use but can be invasive in some climates, in my northern clime it's hard to get it to grow. They are from the nightshade family but as @Kathy Milam pointed out, so are eggplants, tomatoes etc. This is not something to get terribly worked up about. Many plants have edible and non-edible cousins! This really comes down to what you want to grow it for. If drying the seed pods for wonderful arrangements is your goal, then you may want to grow this under controlled conditions if you live where these plants thrive. There are many sources on the web that say that this is a medicinal plant and that berries are edible. There is also just as many that say they are toxic. If ingestion by pets or children are a concern, then just get rid of it to put your mind at ease. The picture below is from: http://www.perennials.com/plants/physalis-alkekengi.html