Common name: African Boxthorn
Lycium ferocissimum Miers APNI* 
Description: Intricately branched shrub to 4 m high with long, rigid branches; lateral branches leafy, ending in stout spines.
Leaves usually clustered, obovate to elliptic, usually 10–40 mm long and 4–10 mm wide; lamina slightly fleshy, glabrous, green.
Pedicels 5–16 mm long. Calyx 4–7 mm long; split irregularly once or twice in fruit. Corolla 10–12 mm long, pale lilac or white towards limb, lobes lilac in centre; limb strongly reflexed. Stamens 5, exserted for 2–4 mm.
Berry globose to broad-ovoid, 5–10 mm diam., dull orange-red; seeds 35–70.
Flowering: throughout year.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in agricultural, pastoral and urban wasteland; widely naturalized. Native of S Afr.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *SWS, *NWP, *SWP, *NFWP, *SFWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A. *N.T.
See also NSW WeedWise profile.
Text by B. J. Conn; edited by P. Lu-Irving (Oct 2024)
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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