SOLANACEAE

NIGHTSHADE FAMILY

Michael Nee

Annual to shrub
Leaves generally simple, generally alternate, generally petioled; stipules 0; blade entire to deeply lobed
Inflorescence various
Flower bisexual; calyx lobes generally 5; corolla ± radial, cylindric to rotate, lobes generally 5; stamens 5, alternate corolla lobes; ovary superior, generally 2-chambered, style 1
Fruit: berry or capsule, 2–5-chambered
Genera in family: 75 genera, 3000 species: worldwide, especially ± tropical; many alien weeds in CA; many cultivated for food, drugs, or ornamental (potato, tomato, peppers, tobacco, petunia); many TOXIC.

LYCIUM

BOX THORN

Shrub 1–4 m, generally with leafy thorns, glabrous, hairy, or glandular
Leaves alternate or clustered, entire, small, fleshy
Inflorescence: clusters; flowers 1–several
Flower: calyx cylindric to bell-shaped, lobes 2–5; corolla funnel-shaped or rotate, whitish, greenish, or purplish, lobes 4–5; stamens attached at different levels in corolla
Fruit: berry, 2-chambered, dry to fleshy
Seeds 2–many
Species in genus: ± 100 species: warm, dry areas worldwide
Etymology: (Latin: Lycia, ancient country of Asia Minor)
Reference: [Hitchcock 1932 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 19:179–374]

Native

L. andersonii A. Gray

Plant ± glabrous; branches stiffly spreading to erect
Leaf 3–15 mm, ± linear, ± elliptic in X -section
Flower: calyx 1.5–3 mm, cup-shaped, lobes (2)4–5, ± 0.8 mm; corolla narrowly funnel-shaped, whitish, often violet-tinged, tube 5–10 mm, lobes 1–1.5 mm; stamens ± included to slightly exserted, unequal, attached 1/3 from base
Fruit 3–8 mm, red or orange, juicy
Seeds many
Ecology: Gravelly or rocky slopes, washes
Elevation: < 1900 m.
Bioregional distribution: s Tehachapi Mountain Area, s San Joaquin Valley, South Coast, n Western Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, East of Sierra Nevada, Desert
Distribution outside California: to Utah, New Mexico, nw Mexico
Flowering time: Mar–May
Synonyms: var. deserticola (C.L. Hitchc.) Jeps
Horticultural information: STBL.