Everything about Boxthorn totally explained
Boxthorn (
Lycium) is a
genus of the
nightshade family (
Solanaceae), containing about 90
species of
plants native throughout much of the
temperate and
subtropical zones of the world. They are mostly found in dry, semi-saline environments.
Other common names include
desert-thorn,
Christmas berry,
wolfberry,
Matrimony vine, and the confusing "
Tea-tree" (it isn't related to
tea or the
Melaleuca tea trees, and with
Lycium foliage being toxic, shouldn't be used as such).
Goji is a common English name made popular by several American-made juices and dried berries sometimes branded as "Tibetan" or "Himalayan" goji berries, although these terms don't geographically represent where the berries actually originate.
There are ~20 species in
North America, ~30 species in
South America, ~30 species in
Africa, ~10 species in
Eurasia, and one species in
Australia.
Grabowskia and
Phrodus join
Lycium in the
tribe Lycieae, and are the genera most closely related to boxthorn.
Description
They are long-lived,
perennial, thorny
shrubs, with
deciduous alternate, simple
leaves 1-8 cm long. The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, 6-25 mm diameter, with a
corolla of five purple, white or greenish-white petals joined together at their bases. The fruit is fleshy, multiseeded
berry 8-20 mm diameter that may be red, yellow, orange, purple or black. These fruit resemble nightshade and
bittersweet berries. In some species called
wolfberries or "
longevity fruit" (notably
L. barbarum and
L. chinense), the fruit is edible.
Most species of
Lycium are cosexual (all flowers have both male and female function), however, several species exhibit
sexual dimorphism. Evidence suggests that sexual dimorphism has evolved more than once in the genus. There are species that have both monecious and dioceous populations, most notably
L. californicum.
Uses
The plant has been known to European herbalists since ancient times and was traded from the Far East to Europe
by the Romans already, 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 recommended as a treatment for sore eyes and inflammation, as does
Pedanius Dioscorides in his
P. Dioscoridae pharmacorum simplicium reique medicae.
The fruit, leaves, and bark of certain species have been used in China throughout more than 2,000 years of recorded history. Wolfberries are known in China as
gǒu qǐ zǐ (枸杞子), and are processed into
herbal teas, soups, juices, and alcoholic beverages. The bark is also used, it's known in Chinese as
dì gǔ pí (地骨皮).
The berries may also be used whole; in
traditional Chinese medicine they're always cooked, boiled either by themselves or in combination with other herbs; or as an ingredient in a soup. Whole wolfberries are used in this way for a variety of purposes in
traditional Korean medicine and
traditional Tibetan medicine, where boxthorn is called
dre-tsher-ma ("ghost thorn"). It is a rare ingredient in
kampō (traditional Japanese medicine), where the fruit is called
kukoshi (クコシ) and the bark
jikoppi (ジコッピ); these terms are derived from the Chinese names.
The berry has a complex, rich nutrient and
phytochemical profile among which its active ingredients include multiple essential
vitamins,
minerals, sources of
dietary fiber,
protein and numerous
carotenoids,
polyphenols, and
polysaccharides. Boxdorn preparations are considered an
adaptogen and wolfberries are a possible "
superfruit" with high health and commercial value.
Ecology
Due to its ecologial requirements, boxthorns may be useful as a crop in arid regions. However, at least
African Boxthorn (
L. ferocissimum) has shown to be able to spread uncontrollably and become an
invasive weed in
Australia.
Lycium species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
Coleophora vigilis (recorded on
L. ferocissimum).
Selected species
