Boxthorn

Boxthorn
African Boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum) African Boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Lycium L.
Species
About 90, including: Lycium acutifolium Lycium afrum Lycium ameghinoi Lycium amoenum Lycium andersonii Lycium arenicola Lycium barbarum - wolfberry Lycium bosciifolium Lycium berlandieri Lycium carolinianum Lycium chilense Lycium chinense - wolfberry Lycium cinereum Lycium decumbens Lycium depressum Lycium eenii Lycium europaeum Lycium exsertum Lycium ferocissimum Lycium fremontii Lycium gariepense Lycium grandicalyx Lycium horridum Lycium hirsutum Lycium intricatum Lycium macrodon Lycium mascarenense Lycium nodosum Lycium oxycarpum Lycium pallidum Lycium pilifolium Lycium pumilum Lycium ruthenicum Lycium schizocalyx Lycium schweinfurthii Lycium shawii Lycium strandveldense Lycium tenue Lycium tenuispinosum Lycium tetrandrum Lycium villosum

Boxthorn (Lycium) is a genus (tribe Lycieae, family Solanaceae) of about 90 species of plants native throughout much of the subtropical zones of the world, mostly found in dry, semi-saline environments.

Common names include wolfberry, desert-thorn, Christmas berry, Matrimony vine, and the confusing "Tea-tree" (it is not related to tea, and with the foliage being toxic, should not be used as such). Goji is a common English name made popular by several American-made juices and dried berries sometimes branded as "Tibetan" or "Himalayan" goji berries, although these terms do not geographically represent where the berries actually originate[1].

There are ~20 species in North America, ~30 species in South America, ~30 species in Africa, ~10 species in Eurasia, and one species in Australia. Grabowskia and Phrodus join Lycium in tribe Lycieae, and are the genera most closely related to Lycium.

They are long-lived, perennial, thorny shrubs, with deciduous alternate, simple leaves 1-8 cm long. The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, 6-25 mm diameter, with a corolla of five purple, white or greenish-white petals joined together at their bases. The fruit is fleshy, multiseeded berry 8-20 mm diameter that may be red, yellow, orange, purple or black. These fruit resemble nightshade and bittersweet berries. In some species, notably L. barbarum (Wolfberry), the fruit is edible (see that species for further detail).

Most species of Lycium are cosexual (all flowers have both male and female function), however, several species exhibit gender dimorphism. Evidence suggests that sexual dimorphism has evolved more than once in the Lycium genus. There are species that have both monecious and dioceous populations, most notably L. californicum.

The plant has been known to European herbalists since ancient times. In his Naturalis historia, Pliny the Elder describes Lycium as a medicinal plant (recommended as a treatment for sore eyes and inflammation), as does Pedanius Dioscorides in his P. Dioscoridae pharmacorum simplicium reique medicae (Hitchcock 1932). In his 1753 publication Species Plantarum, Linnaeus describes three Lycium species: L. afrum, L. barbarum, and L. europaeum (Hitchcock 1932).

Uses

The fruit, leaves, and bark of certain species have been used in China throughout more than 2,000 years of recorded history. The fruit is known in China as gouqizi (枸杞子, wolfberry, Lycium barbarum), where it is used in herbal teas, soups, juices, and alcoholic beverages.

The berries may also be eaten whole and are used in this way for a variety of purposes in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as traditional Korean medicine, traditional Japanese medicine, and traditional Tibetan medicine.

The berry has a complex, rich nutrient and phytochemical profile among which its active ingredients include multiple essential vitamins, minerals, sources of dietary fiber, protein and numerous carotenoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides (Gross et al., 2006).

Lycium species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora vigilis (recorded on L. ferocissimum).

Gallery

• African Boxthorn flower

  African Boxthorn flower

• African Boxthorn shrub

  African Boxthorn shrub

• Lycium intricatum

  Lycium intricatum

• Lycium barbarum flower

  Lycium barbarum flower

References

• Dharmananda, S. "Lycium Fruit". Lycium Fruit. Retrieved 2005-09-06.
• Project Lycieae Homepage
• Gross PM. Goji - What it is... and isn't, Natural Products Information Center, August 2007
• Gross, Paul M.; Xiaoping Zhang; and Richard Zhang (2006). Wolfberry: Nature's Bounty of Nutrition & Health. Charleston, South Carolina, United States: BookSurge Publishing. ISBN 1419620487. ISBN 9781419620485.
• Hitchcock, Charles Leo. "A Monographic Study of the Genus Lycium of the Western Hemisphere." Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, v. 19, no. 2/3 (April 1932), pp. 179-348, 350-366.

External links

• Lycium species records from GRIN