Virginia Tech Dendrology

goji berry Solanaceae Lycium barbarum L. symbol: LYBA4
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, to 3 inches long, broadly obovate to spatulate or lanceolate, entire margins, blue to gray-green, thin to somewhat thickened (thickness known to vary by variety). Young leaves are edible, with a slightly minty flavor.
Flower: Species is monoecious; narrow tubular, 5 lobed, 1/4 to 3/8 inch long, purple to white on the upper surface, white below; appearing mid-summer.
Fruit: Fleshy orange-red, oval berries (resemble small tomatoes), 3/8 inch long, hang downward, ripen in late fall, edible. The flavor is initially sweet, then bitter. Fruits are generally dried for consumption.
Twig: Stiff, light brown but turning gray, thorny.
Bark: Gray-brown with thorns.
Form: A sprawling, densely branched suckering shrub or vine with arching branches; to 8 feet tall.
Looks like: Anderson boxthorn - Fremont's desert-thorn

Additional Range Information: Lycium barbarum is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information