Common name: Chinese Boxthorn, Goji Berry
Lycium barbarum L. APNI*
Description: Shrub to 2.5 m with weak, arching branches; lateral branches often few, reduced to short, leafless spines.
Leaves ovate to elliptic, glabrous, green; clustered leaves usually 8–20 mm long and 2–5 mm wide, solitary leaves mostly 30–55 mm long and 5–15 mm wide, persistent, usually acute, scarcely fleshy.
Pedicels 6–15 mm long. Calyx 3–4 mm long; split deeply once or twice in fruit, sometimes 2-lipped. Corolla 10–12 mm long, pale mauve towards limb, lobes deep mauve above; limb strongly reflexed. Stamens 5, exserted for 3–8 mm.
Berry ellipsoid, 3–4 mm diam., red; seeds c. 20.
Flowering: summer–autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Garden escape, naturalized in coastal and near-coastal regions, west to Narrandera district area. Native of China.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *S.A.
Text by B. J. Conn Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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