Lycium fremontii
Encyclopedia
Lycium fremontii is a species of flowering plant
in the nightshade
family, Solanaceae
, that is native to northwestern Mexico
and the southernmost mountains and deserts of California
and Arizona
in the United States. It often grows in areas with alkaline soils, such as alkali flats
.
Both its common name, Frémont's Desert Thorn, and its specific epithet, "fremontii", are derived from John C. Frémont
.
approaching a maximum height of 4 m (13.1 ft) with many thorny, leafy branches. The fleshy leaves are oval in shape and up to 2.5 cm (0.984251968503937 in) long. Parts of the plant are coated in glandular hairs.
The inflorescence
is a small cluster of tubular flowers roughly 1–2 cm (0.393700787401575–0.78740157480315 in) long including the cylindrical calyx of fleshy sepal
s at the base. The flower is light to deep purple with purple veining. The corolla is a narrow tube opening into usually five lobes. The fruit is a red berry
6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) wide.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the nightshade
Solanum
Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers. Many formerly independent genera like Lycopersicon or Cyphomandra are...
family, Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
, that is native to northwestern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the southernmost mountains and deserts of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in the United States. It often grows in areas with alkaline soils, such as alkali flats
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
.
Both its common name, Frémont's Desert Thorn, and its specific epithet, "fremontii", are derived from John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
.
Description
Lycium fremontii is a bushy, spreading shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
approaching a maximum height of 4 m (13.1 ft) with many thorny, leafy branches. The fleshy leaves are oval in shape and up to 2.5 cm (0.984251968503937 in) long. Parts of the plant are coated in glandular hairs.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a small cluster of tubular flowers roughly 1–2 cm (0.393700787401575–0.78740157480315 in) long including the cylindrical calyx of fleshy sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s at the base. The flower is light to deep purple with purple veining. The corolla is a narrow tube opening into usually five lobes. The fruit is a red berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) wide.