Lycium

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Diaphoretickes
Cladus: CAM
Cladus: Archaeplastida
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Solanales

Familia: Solanaceae
Subfamilia: Solanoideae
Tribus: Lycieae
Genus: Lycium
Species: L. acutifolium – L. afrum – L. ameghinoi – L. americanum – L. amoenum – L. anatolicum – L. andersonii – L. arenicola – L. armatum – L. arochae – L. athium – L. australe – L. barbarum – L. barbinodum – L. berlandieri – L. boerhaviifolium – L. bosciifolium – L. brevipes – L. bridgesii – L. californicum – L. carolinianum – L. cestroides – L. chanar – L. chilense – L. chinense – L. ciliatum – L. cinereum – L. confertum – L. cooperi – L. cuneatum – L. cyathiformum – L. cylindricum – L. dasystemum – L. decumbens – L. densifolium – L. depressum – L. deserti – L. distichum – L. edgeworthii – L. eenii – L. europaeum – L. exsertum – L. ferocissimum – L. flexicaule – L. fremontii – L. fuscum – L. gariepense – L. geniculatum – L. gilliesianum – L. glomeratum – L. grandicalyx – L. hantamense – L. hirsutum – L. horridum – L. humile – L. infaustum – L. intricatum – L. isthmense – L. kopetdaghi – L. leiospermum – L. leiostemum – L. macrodon – L. makranicum – L. martii – L. mascarenense – L. megacarpum – L. minimum – L. minutifolium – L. ningxiaense – L. oxycarpum – L. pallidum – L. parishii – L. peninsulare – L. petraeum – L. pilifolium – L. puberulum – L. pubitubum – L. pumilum – L. qingshuigeense – L. rachidocladum – L. repens – L. retusum – L. ruthenicum – L. sandwicense – L. schaffneri – L. schizocalyx – L. schreiteri – L. schweinfurthii – L. shawii – L. shockleyi – L. sokotranum – L. stenophyllum – L. strandveldense – L. tenue – L. tenuispinosum – L. tetrandrum – L. texanum – L. torreyi – L. truncatum – L. villosum – L. vimineum – L. yunnanense
Name

Lycium L., Sp. Pl. 1: 191. (1753)

Type species: Lycium afrum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 191. (1753)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Ascleia Raf.
Cantalea Raf.
Evoista Raf.
Grabowskia Schltdl.
Jasminoides Duhamel
Oplukion Raf.
Panzeria J.F.Gmel.
Phrodus Miers
Rhopalostigma Phil. non Rhopalostigma Schott, Oesterr. Bot. Z. 9: 39 (1859) vide Asterostigma Fisch. & C.A.Mey., Bull. Cl. Phys.-Math. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg 3: 148 (1845) (Asteraceae)
Teremis Raf.
Triliena Raf.

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 191. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Lycium. Published online. Accessed: Sept. 21 2019. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Lycium in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Sept. 21. Reference page.
Levin, R.A., Bernardello, G., Whiting, C. & Miller, J.S. 2011. A new generic circumscription in tribe Lycieae (Solanaceae). Taxon 60(3): 681–690. DOI: 10.1002/tax.603005 JSTOR PDF Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Lycium. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 21 Sept. 2019.

Vernacular names
čeština: Kustovnice
dansk: Bukketorn
Deutsch: Bocksdorne
Ελληνικά: Λύκιο
English: Boxthorn
español: Licio
suomi: Pukinpensaat
français: Lyciet, Jasminoïde
magyar: Ördögcérna, lícium
italiano: Licio
日本語: クコ属
한국어: 구기자나무속
lietuvių: Ožerškis
македонски: Плетиплотка
Nederlands: Boksdoorn
polski: Kolcowój
русский: Дереза
svenska: Bocktörnesläktet
中文: 枸杞屬

Lycium is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae.[3] The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most species, followed by North America and southern Africa. There are several scattered across Europe and Asia, and one is native to Australia.[4] Common English names for plants of this genus include box-thorn,[5] wolfberry, and desert-thorn.[6] Plants of the World Online currently accepts 101 species.[2] Other estimates are of 70[4] to 80[7][8] species.
Etymology

The generic name Lycium is derived from the Greek word λυκιον (lykion), which was applied by Pliny the Elder (23-79) and Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40–90) to a plant known as dyer's buckthorn. It was probably a Rhamnus species and was named for Lycia (Λυκία), the ancient southern Anatolian region in which it grew.[9][10] The berry is called lycii fructus ("lycium fruit") in old Latin pharmacological texts.
Description
Lycium barbarum

Lycium are shrubs, often thorny, growing 1 to 4 meters tall. The leaves are small, narrow, and fleshy, and are alternately arranged, sometimes in fascicles. Flowers are solitary or borne in clusters. The funnel-shaped or bell-shaped corolla is white, green, or purple in color. The fruit is a two-chambered, usually fleshy and juicy berry which can be red, orange, yellow, or black. It may have few seeds or many.[5][7] Most Lycium have fleshy, red berries with over 10 seeds, but a few American taxa have hard fruits with two seeds.[8]

While most Lycium are monoecious, producing bisexual flowers with functional male and female parts, some species are gynodioecious, with some individuals bearing bisexual flowers and some producing functionally female flowers.[11]
Uses

Lycium has been known to European herbalists since ancient times, and species were traded from the Far East to Europe by the Romans, for example via Ariaca and the port of Barbarikon near today's Karachi, as mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. In his Naturalis historia, Pliny the Elder describes boxthorn as a medicinal plant, as does Pedanius Dioscorides in his P. Dioscoridae pharmacorum simplicium reique medicae.[12]

In his 1753 publication Species Plantarum, Linnaeus describes three Lycium species: L. afrum, L. barbarum, and L. europaeum.[12]
L. barbarum

Lycium, particularly L. barbarum, have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine.[13][14] The leaves and roots of other species of Lycium, such as L. europaeum, when mixed with water, have been used in folk medicine.[15] The fruit of L. barbatum and L. chinense, known as goji berry, is commonly consumed as a dried fruit.[13] The Chinese tonic gou qi zi ("wolfberry fruit") is made of the fruit of any of several Lycium species, and is used as a dietary supplement.[13]
Ecology

Lycium species mostly occur in arid and semi-arid climates, and a few are known from coastal zones in somewhat saline habitat types.[4]

Invasive species include L. ferocissimum, which was introduced to Australia and New Zealand and has become a dense, thorny pest plant there. It injures livestock, harbors pest mammals and insects, and displaces native species.[16]
Species
Lycium intricatum
Lycium sandwicense

101 species are accepted.[2][17][18]

Lycium acutifolium E.Mey. ex Dunal
Lycium afrum L. – Kraal honey thorn
Lycium amarum Lu Q.Huang
Lycium ameghinoi Speg.
Lycium americanum Jacq.
Lycium amoenum Dammer
Lycium anatolicum A.Baytop & R.R.Mill
Lycium andersonii A.Gray – Anderson boxthorn, water-jacket
Lycium arenicola Miers
Lycium armatum Griff.
Lycium arochae F.Chiang, T.Wendt & E.J.Lott
Lycium athium Bernardello
Lycium australe F.Muell.
Lycium barbarum L. – Barbary matrimony-vine, Chinese boxthorn, Duke of Argyll's teaplant, goji-berry, Himalayan goji, Tibetan goji
Lycium barbinodum Miers
Lycium berlandieri Dunal – Berlandier wolfberry
Lycium boerhaviifolium L.f.
Lycium bosciifolium Schinz
Lycium brevipes Benth. – Baja desert-thorn
Lycium brevipes var. hassei (Greene) C.L.Hitchc. – Santa Catalina Island desert-thorn
Lycium bridgesii (Miers) R.A.Levin, Jill S.Mill. & G.Bernardello
Lycium californicum Nutt. ex A.Gray – California boxthorn, California desert-thorn
Lycium carolinianum Walter – Carolina desert-thorn, Christmas berry
Lycium cestroides Schltdl.
Lycium chanar Phil.
Lycium chilense Bertero
Lycium chinense Mill. – Chinese teaplant, Chinese wolfberry, Chinese boxthorn
Lycium ciliatum Schltdl.
Lycium cinereum Thunb. – Kriedoring
Lycium confertum Miers
Lycium cooperi A.Gray – peachthorn, Cooper's wolfberry
Lycium cuneatum Dammer
Lycium cyathiforme C.L.Hitchc.
Lycium cylindricum Kuang & A.M.Lu
Lycium dasystemum Pojark.
Lycium decumbens Welw. ex Hiern
Lycium densifolium Wiggins
Lycium depressum Stocks
Lycium deserti Phil.
Lycium distichum Meyen
Lycium edgeworthii Dunal
Lycium eenii S.Moore
Lycium europaeum L. – European teatree, European matrimony-vine
Lycium exsertum A.Gray – Arizona desert-thorn, littleleaf wolfberry
Lycium ferocissimum Miers – African boxthorn
Lycium flexicaule Pojark.
Lycium fremontii A.Gray – Frémont's desert-thorn
Lycium fuscum Miers
Lycium gariepense A.M.Venter
Lycium geniculatum Fernald
Lycium gilliesianum Miers
Lycium glomeratum Sendtn.
Lycium grandicalyx Joubert & Venter
Lycium hantamense A.M.Venter
Lycium hirsutum Dunal
Lycium horridum Thunb.
Lycium humile Phil.
Lycium infaustum Miers
Lycium intricatum Boiss.
Lycium isthmense F.Chiang
Lycium kopetdaghi Pojark.
Lycium leiospermum I.M.Johnst.
Lycium leiostemum Wedd.
Lycium macrodon A.Gray – desert wolfberry
Lycium makranicum Schönb.-Tem.
Lycium martii Sendtn.
Lycium mascarenense A.M.Venter & A.J.Scott
Lycium megacarpum Wiggins
Lycium minimum C.L.Hitchc.
Lycium minutifolium J.Rémy
Lycium ningxiaense R.J.Wang & Q.Liao
Lycium oxycarpum Dunal
Lycium pallidum Miers – pale desert-thorn
Lycium parishii A.Gray – Parish's desert-thorn
Lycium petraeum Feinbrun
Lycium pilifolium C.H.Wright
Lycium puberulum A.Gray – downy desert-thorn
Lycium pubitubum C.L.Hitchc.
Lycium pumilum Dammer
Lycium qingshuigeense Xu L.Jiang & J.N.Li
Lycium rachidocladum Dunal
Lycium repens Speg.
Lycium ruthenicum Murray
Lycium sandwicense A.Gray – ʻŌhelo kai, Hawaii desert-thorn
Lycium schizocalyx C.H.Wright
Lycium schreiteri F.A.Barkley
Lycium schweinfurthii Dammer
Lycium shawii Roem. & Schult. – Arabian boxthorn
Lycium shockleyi A.Gray – Shockley's desert-thorn
Lycium sokotranum R.Wagner & Vierh.
Lycium stenophyllum J.Rémy
Lycium strandveldense A.M.Venter
Lycium tenue Willd.
Lycium tenuispinosum Miers
Lycium tetrandrum Thunb.
Lycium texanum Correll – Texas wolfberry
Lycium torreyi A.Gray – Torrey's boxthorn, squawthorn
Lycium truncatum Y.C.Wang
Lycium villosum Schinz
Lycium vimineum Miers
Lycium yunnanense Kuang & A.M.Lu

Formerly placed here

Buchozia japonica (Thunb.) Callm. (as L. foetidum L.f. or L. japonicum Thunb.)[17]

References

"Genus: Lycium L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
Lycium L. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
"Genus Lycium". Taxonomy. UniProt. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
Fukuda, T., et al. (2001). Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Lycium (Solanaceae): Inferences from chloroplast DNA sequences. Archived 2003-11-30 at the Wayback Machine Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 19(2), 246-58.
Lycium. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
"Lycium". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Lycium. Flora of China.
Levin, R. A. and J. S. Miller. (2005). Relationships within tribe Lycieae (Solanaceae): paraphyly of Lycium and multiple origins of gender dimorphism. American Journal of Botany 92(12), 2044-53.
Austin, D. F. (2004). Florida Ethnobotany. CRC Press. p. 677. ISBN 9780849323324.
Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
Miller, J. S. and D. L. Venable. (2002). The transition to gender dimorphism on an evolutionary background of self-incompatibility: an example from Lycium (Solanaceae). American Journal of Botany 89(12), 1907-15.
Hitchcock, C. L. (1932). A monographic study of the genus Lycium of the Western Hemisphere. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 19(2/3), 179-348 and 350-66. doi:10.2307/2394155 (First page image).
Gross PM (2007). "Goji: what it is... and isn't". NewHope Network, Penton Media Inc.
"Goji Berries" (PDF). UK Food Standards Agency, Novel Foods, Additives and Supplements Division. June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
Nissim Krispil, Medicinal Plants in Israel and Throughout the World - the Complete Guide, Or Yehuda (Israel) 2000, pp. 38–39 (Hebrew)
Lycium ferocissimum (African boxthorn). Invasive Species Compendium. CABI.
"GRIN Species Records of Lycium". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
"Lycium". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2010-12-13.