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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Similar Species
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Taxonomy

Notes:

Place of publication: Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 14:131. 1854

Name verified on 30-Apr-1999 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 24-Jul-2002

Physical Description

Family Solanaceae:

Herbs, shrubs, small trees, or climbers. Stems sometimes prickly, rarely thorny; hairs simple, branched, or stellate, sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, solitary or paired, simple or pinnately compound, without stipules; leaf blade entire, dentate, lobed, or divided. Inflorescences terminal, overtopped by continuing axes, appearing axillary, extra-axillary, or leaf opposed, often apparently umbellate, racemose, paniculate, clustered, or solitary flowers, rarely true cymes, sometimes bracteate. Flowers mostly bisexual, usually regular, 5-merous, rarely 4- or 6-9-merous. Calyx mostly lobed. Petals united. Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them, inserted within corolla, all alike or 1 or more reduced; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or by apical pores. Ovary 2-5-locular; placentation mostly axile; ovules usually numerous. Style 1. Fruiting calyx often becoming enlarged, mostly persistent. Fruit a berry or capsule. Seeds with copious endosperm; embryo mostly curved.

About 95 genera with 2300 species: best represented in western tropical America, widespread in temperate and tropical regions; 20 genera (ten introduced) and 101 species in China.

Some species of Solanaceae are known in China only by plants cultivated in ornamental or specialty gardens: Atropa belladonna Linnaeus, Cyphomandra betacea (Cavanilles) Sendtner, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willdenow) Berchtold & Presl, Nicotiana alata Link & Otto, and Solanum jasminoides Paxton.^[1]

Genus Lycium:

Shrubs, often armed with thorns, pubescent with simple hairs. Leaves usually fasciculate on short shoots, petiolate or subsessile; leaf blade small, plane or linear-cylindric, entire. Inflorescences solitary or fasciculate axillary flowers; peduncle absent. Flowers pedicellate. Calyx campanulate, 2- or 5-dentate or -lobed. Corolla funnelform or campanulate; tube short, limb usually (4- or) 5-lobed, enlarged at throat. Stamens inserted high in corolla tube, included or exserted; anthers oblong-elliptic, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 2-locular; ovules 1 to many. Style slender. Berry red, orange, yellow, or black, globose, ovoid, or oblong, fleshy or juicy; fruiting calyx slightly enlarged. Seeds numerous or few, compressed, pitted.

About 80 species: South America, S Africa, a few in temperate Europe and Asia; seven species in China.^[2]

Distribution

Range and Population

Native: Arizona, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, New Mexico, Oklahoma, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Texas, Zacatecas.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Lycium:

There are approximately 550 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: L. chilense gracile · L. chilense paraguariense · L. depressum angustifolium · L. pallidum exsertum · L. abeliaeflorum · L. acanthocladium · L. aciculare · L. acnistoides · L. acutifolium · L. afrum · L. aggregatum · L. albiflorum · L. ameghinoi · L. americanum var. chrysocarpum · L. amoenum · L. anatolicum · L. andersonii (Anderson Boxthorn) · L. andersonii f. deserticola (Anderson Boxthorn) · L. andersonii f. deserticolum · L. andersonii var. andersonii · L. andersonii var. andersonii Gray (Anderson Wolfberry) · L. andersonii var. deserticola · L. andersonii var. deserticola (C.L.Hitchc.) C.L.Hitchc. ex Munz (Desert Anderson Wolfberry) · L. andersonii var. pubescens · L. andersonii var. wrightii (Anderson Boxthorn) · L. andersonii var. wrightii Gray (Water Jacket) · L. angustifolium · L. apiculatum · L. arabicum · L. arborescens · L. arenicola · L. arenicolum · L. argentino-cestroides · L. argentino-elongatum · L. argentinum · L. argentinum var. umbrosum · L. armatum · L. arochae · L. aschersonii · L. athium · L. australe · L. austrinum · L. bachmannii · L. Barbarium 'Nativehart' · L. barbarum (Common Matrimony Vine) · L. barbarum var. auranticarpum · L. barbatum · L. barbinodum · L. berberidoides · L. berberioides var. berberioides · L. berlandieri (Berlandier Wolf-Berry) · L. berlandieri Dunal var. berlandieri Dunal · L. berlandieri Dunal var. longistylum C.L.Hitchc. (Berlandier Wolfberry) · L. berlandieri Dunal var. parviflorum (Gray) Terracc. (Berlandier's Wolfberry) · L. berlandieri f. parviflorum · L. berlandieri subvar. brachyanthum · L. berlandieri subvar. pubescens · L. berlandieri subvar. richii · L. berlandieri subvar. wrightii · L. berlandieri var. andersonii · L. berlandieri var. barbinodum · L. berlandieri var. berlandieri · L. berlandieri var. brevipes · L. berlandieri var. longiflorum · L. berlandieri var. longistylum · L. berlandieri var. miersii · L. berlandieri var. normale · L. berlandieri var. palmeri · L. berlandieri var. parviflorum (Berlandiers Wolfberry) · L. berlandieri var. peninsulare · L. berlandieri var. schaffneri · L. biesei · L. boerhaviaefolium · L. bosciifolium · L. brachanthum · L. brachyanthum · L. breanum · L. brevipes var. Brevipes (Desert-Thorn) · L. brevistylum · L. caespitosum · L. californicum (California Desert-Thorn) · L. californicum carinatum · L. californicum subsp. carinatum · L. californicum var. arizonicum · L. californicum var. interior · L. calpiche · L. campanulatum · L. canescens · L. canum · L. capense · L. capillare · L. capsulare · L. carinatum · L. carnosum · L. carolianum · L. carolinianum (Carolina Desert-Thorn) · L. carolinianum f. hassei · L. carolinianum f. jacquiniana · L. carolinianum var. arizonicum · L. carolinianum var. californicum

Bibliography

• Cronquist, A. et al. 1972–. Intermountain flora. (Intermt F)
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. (Zander ed13)
• Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. (F CalifJep)
• Kearney, T. H. & R. H. Peebles. 1969. Arizona flora, ed. 2. (F Ariz)
• Kuang Ko-zen & Lu An-ming, eds. 1978. Solanaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 67(1): 1-175.
• Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert. (F SonorDes)
• Wiggins, I. L. 1980. Flora of Baja California. (F Baja)

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Notes

Contributors:

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 6, 2006.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 04, 2008)

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 529037
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDSOL0G0C1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 168373

Footnotes:

1. Zhi-Yun Zhang, Anmin Lu & William G. D'Arcy "Solanaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 300. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. "Lycium". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 301. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.