Key to Lycium

View taxon page for Lycium

(For a list of species in Lycium, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Seeds 2; 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

± round to ± 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

in ×-section ..... L. californicum

1' Seeds several to many; leaf elliptic to ± flat in ×-section

2. Calyx 

lobes 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

1/2 to > tube or generally > 2 mm

3. Fruit firm, green-purple or yellow to orange

4. Leaves glandular-puberulent, not glaucous; fruit yellow to orange, with 2 cross-grooves above middle ..... L. cooperi

4' Leaves glabrous, glaucous; fruit green-purple, not cross-grooved ..... L. pallidum var. oligospermum

3' Fruit soft, red

5. Stamens glabrous, attached near tube top ..... L. verrucosum

5' Stamens hairy at base, attached near tube middle.

6. Leaves generally glabrous; corolla generally 4-lobed ..... L. brevipes var. hassei

6' Leaves glandular-puberulent; corolla 5-lobed ..... L. parishii

2' Calyx lobes < 2/3 tube or generally < 2 mm

7. Branches curved to arched, thorns 0–1(2) cm ..... L. barbarum

7' Branches not curved to arched, thorns 1–5 cm

8. Corolla lobes 1/3 to = tube ..... L. brevipes var. brevipes

8' Corolla lobes < 1/3 tube

9. Plant glandular-hairy ..... L. fremontii

9' Plant ± glabrous

10. Corolla 

lobe 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

 margin glabrous to finely straight-ciliate; leaf ± linear-oblanceolate ..... L. andersonii

10' Corolla lobe margin woolly-ciliate; leaf narrowly oblanceolate to obovate ..... L. torreyi

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