Chinese lantern is a clump-forming perennial with soft green, heart-shaped leaves and slender, upright stems. Small, white nodding flowers bloom quietly under the foliage in early to midsummer. The real show starts later when each flower gives way to an inflated papery calyx that swells and ripens to glowing orange. 

This plant grows 2-3 feet tall on average, forming a colony over time by sending shallow rhizomes outward. In fertile soil, it can wander more quickly, popping up where you did not plan. It requires full sun for the best color and can tolerate light shade.