Lycium barbarum is a shrub native to China,[2][3][4] with present-day range across Asia and southeast Europe.[5] It is one of two species of boxthorn in the family Solanaceae from which the goji berry or wolfberry is harvested, the other being Lycium chinense.
The shrub is an important commercial crop in northern China, especially in the NingxiaHuiAutonomous Region. Its Chinese name is Ningxia gǒuqǐ.
Description
Lycium barbarum is a deciduouswoody shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–3 metres (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in). It is characterised by its weak arching branches, and the side branches are often reduced to short leafless spines.[3]
Leaves and flowers
L. barbarum leaves form on the shoot either in an alternating arrangement, or in bundles of up to three. Each leaf is green, scarcely fleshy when fresh, usually lanceolate (spearhead-shaped), sometimes with rounded tips.[4] Clustered leaves are up to 25 mm long; the single alternate leaves are up to 55 mm long.[3]
The flowers grow in groups of one to three in the leaf axils, with pedicels 6–15 mm long. The calyx, eventually ruptured by the growing berry, is a whitish tube crowned by five or six radial triangular sepals, shorter than the tube, 10–12 mm long and 3–4 mm wide, sometimes 2–lipped, strongly curved. The sepals are whitish on the lower side (facing towards the branch) and deep mauve on the top side. Each flower has five stamens, exserted for 3–8 mm, with stalks longer than the anthers.[3] The pistil is 8–11.5 mm long. The anthers are longitudinally dehiscent.[citation needed]
Fruit
The fruit of L. barbarum, the main variety of goji berry, is a bright orange-red, ellipsoid berry 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) in diameter. The fruiting calyx is split deeply once or twice. The number of seeds in each berry varies widely based on cultivar and fruit size, ranging from 10 to 60. The seeds are about 2 mm long, 1 mm wide, yellowish, compressed with a curved embryo.
Reproduction
The plants are self-pollinating, but may be cross pollinated by insects.[citation needed] The species is dispersed into natural areas by birds and other animals that eat its fruit.[7]
In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs from June through September and berry maturation from August to October, depending on the latitude, altitude, and climate. Where frost does not occur fruiting is continuous and plants do not lose their leaves.[citation needed]
The berries of L. barbarum are the only therapeutic grade ("superior-grade") kinds of wolfberries used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.[9]
As Ningxia's borders merge with three deserts, L. barbarum is also planted to control erosion and reclaim irrigable soils from desertification.[10]
United Kingdom
Lycium barbarum has been used since the 18th century in the United Kingdom for hedging, especially in coastal districts. Its red berries are attractive to a wide variety of British birds.[11]
Importation of mature Lycium barbarum plants into the United Kingdom from most countries outside Europe is illegal, due to the possibility they could be vectors of diseases attacking Solanaceae crops, such as potato or tomato.[13]
Australia
Lycium barbarum introduced to Australia became naturalised in south-eastern coastal and sub-coastal regions, and is regarded as an environmental weed in the provinces of Victoria and Tasmania. It is often found growing in disturbed sites, native bushland, and riverbanks, often forming dense thickets along the latter. It overlaps and is often confused with Lycium ferocissimum, a similar species originating from Africa.[7]
Chemistry
Phytochemicals present in the fruit, root, and other parts of the plants have been studied in some detail.[14]
The compounds present in the roots have been less studied, but they include betaine, choline, linoleic acid, and β-sitosterol [79]. Of particular interest are cyclic oligopeptides with 8 aminoacid rings.[14]
^ abcdGovernment of South Australia (2007), "Lycium barbarum". Online fact sheet on Electronic Flora of South Australia (eFloraSA). Accessed on 2018-05-04.
^ abT. Muer (2000), "Lycium Barabarum". Image on the Floraweb website, from "Bildatlas der Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands" by H. Haeupler and T. Muer, 2000. Accessed on 2018-05-04.
^Flint, Harrison Leigh (1997). "Lycium barbarum". Landscape plants for eastern North America: exclusive of Florida and the immediate Gulf Coast. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. p. 326. ISBN978-0-471-59919-7.
^ abQueensland Government (2016), "Lycium barbarum". Online fact sheet on Weeds of Australia website. Accessed on 2018-05-04.
^[1] Xinhua News Agency, Opening ceremonies of Ningxia wolfberry festival, August 3, 2005.
^[2] Staff reporter, China's first provincial-level wolfberry association established, People's Daily Online, August 19, 2001.
^[3]Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Yunyun L. Dry no more. BeijingReview.com.cn, October 11, 2008.
^A Touch Of Argyll In NorfolkArchived 2009-01-08 at the Wayback Machine Julia Page in The Corncrake, Colonsay, Scotland " I was intrigued to discover that the common name of lycium halimifolium is the Duke of Argyll's Tea-tree or Teaplant and was keen to discover how this name came about. I succeeded with the help of my friend Craig ( nice Scottish name ) at Kew Gardens Library and a historical Who's Who. Accessed November 2006
^ abcdOlivier Potterat (2010): "Goji (Lycium barbarum and L. chinense): Phytochemistry, pharmacology and safety in the perspective of traditional uses and recent popularity". Planta medica, volume 76, issue 1, pages 7-19. doi:10.1055/s-0029-1186218
External links
Look up wolfberry or 枸杞子 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.