Fremont Thorn Bush
Wolfberry
Lycium fremontii
This plant was found growing on the floodplain of the Salt River, Phoenix, Arizona 26 Jan. 2008. The image is hosted in full resolution at Wikimedia.
RANGE: Grows especially in deep sandy or silty soil that is damp and a
bit saline. In the Sonoran Desert look for it along the major rivers and also
near the coast in Sonora, Mexico.
FLOWERS: Light to darker purple/lavender. Tubular flowers with usu. five
points are larger than most of the other Sonoran Desert Lyciums. The
flowers are very attractive to both bees and hummingbirds.
SHRUB: A robust woody shrub occasionally up to
3 meters tall. Intricately branched and densely leafy if there has
been recent precipitation.
ARMED. This
shrub has thorns, but they are not particularly sharp.
LEAVES: Leaves are spatulate (spoon-shaped) and rather thick and fleshy.
The leaves often appear fascicled.
FRUIT: Bright red juicy berries with a number of seeds are edible and
sweet.
Many insects can be found on L. fremontii
especially in the spring when flowers attract honeybees and the developing buds and leaves many sucking insects like psyllids. Hummingbirds visit when flowering.