Lycium berlandieri Seeds | Berlandier Wolfberry
LATIN NAME: Lycium berlandieri
COMMON NAME: Berlandier Wolfberry
Plant Profile
Berlandier wolfberry is a spiny shrub of the dry brush country of southern Texas and northern Mexico, growing one to two metres with slender, tangled, grey branches that end in sharp spines. Its leaves are small, fleshy and grey-green, and it drops them in drought, so the plant often looks like a bundle of thorny twigs. In spring and again after rain it carries small, tubular, lavender-purple flowers, followed by bright red, oval berries about a centimetre long. It grows on caliche, sand and gravel in the Rio Grande plain and the Chihuahuan desert, where it tolerates salt, drought and heat, and it is one of the most widespread shrubs of the region. The berries are edible and sweet, and they are eaten by birds and by people.
Science & Biotechnology
Lycium berlandieri is one of the wolfberries, the genus that includes the goji of commerce, and it is a close relative of the Chinese species that dominate the functional food market. The genus is being studied for its fruit chemistry, since the American species also contain zeaxanthin, polysaccharides and betaine, though in different proportions from Lycium barbarum. The species is diploid and hybridises with other wolfberries in the region, which makes identification difficult where ranges overlap. Its spines are modified branches, and the plant flowers on new growth, so it can be cut back hard and will regrow. The berries are dispersed by birds, and the seed passes through intact. It is extremely tolerant of saline and alkaline soil, which is why it grows on the whitest caliche flats.
Uses & Benefits
The berries are edible, sweet and slightly tomato-like, and they are eaten fresh or dried, though the plant is not a commercial crop. In Mexican folk medicine the leaves and root bark are used for diabetes and for high blood pressure, and the plant appears in regional pharmacopoeias. It is also planted in xeriscapes and wildlife gardens, where its lavender flowers and red berries make it useful, and it is a good nectar source for small bees. The dense, thorny growth gives cover for quail and small mammals. In the garden it needs full sun, sharp drainage and little water, and it should be pruned after fruiting to keep it within bounds. It is not a plant for a small border, because of the spines.
Growing from Seed
Sow the seed in spring at twenty-five degrees, one centimetre deep in a gritty mix; germination takes two to four weeks and is usually reliable. The seedling grows quickly and can be planted out after the last frost. Choose a site in full sun with well-drained, even saline or alkaline soil, and water only to establish. Prune in late winter to keep the shrub compact and to encourage new flowering wood. It tolerates frost to about minus twelve degrees, dying back in severe cold and regrowing from the base. Do not feed, and do not irrigate regularly, which makes it soft and short-lived. Harvest berries when they turn fully red and soft.
Our Take
A thorny desert wolfberry with edible red fruit and a taste for the worst soil on the place. Sun, caliche, no water.
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