1930 



LYCIUM 



LYCIUM 



alternate, often fascicled, shprt-petioled, entire, without 

 stipules: fls. axillary, solitary or clustered; calyx 

 campanulate, 3-5-toothed; corolla funnelform, with usu- 

 ally 5-lobed limb; stamens mostly 5: fr. a berry, with 

 few to many seeds. About 100 species, distributed 

 through the temperate and subtropical regions of both 

 hemispheres. 



The matrimony-vines are shrubs with usually spiny 

 branches, rigid in some species, slender and arching or 



2229. Lycium chinense. ( X >a) 



procumbent in others, with rather small and narrow 

 usually grayish green leaves and dull-colored, whitish, 

 purplish or violet flowers, followed by scarlet, rarely 

 yellow or black berries. Most of the species are tender, 

 but L. halimifolium, L. chinense, and also L. turcomani- 

 cum and L. ruthenicum are hardy North. L. pallidum 

 has proved hardy at the Arnold Arboretum. The two 

 first named are especially attractive in fall, when the 

 long and slender branches are loaded with scarlet or 

 bright red fruits, which contrast well with the green 

 foliage. The leaves remain fresh and unchanged in 

 color until they drop, after severe frost. The species 

 are well adapted for covering walls, fences, arbors and 

 other trellis work, but are, perhaps, most beautiful when 

 the branches are pendent from rocks or from the top of 

 walls. They are also used sometimes for hedges, and 

 for warmer regions, especially, L. horridum and L. afrum 

 may be recommended. The latter is much used in South 

 Africa for this purpose under the name of "caffir thorn." 

 The box-thorns grow in almost any soil that is not too 

 moist. They should not be planted near flower-beds or 

 similar places, where the suckers are apt to become 

 troublesome. Propagation is accomplished readily by 

 hardwood cuttings or suckers; also by layers and seeds. 



A. Lvs. 1 in, long or longer: fls. 5-lobed. 



B. Corolla-lobes as long or nearly as long as the tube: 

 fls. purplish. 



halimifdlium, Mill. (L. vulgare, Dun. L. fldccidum, 

 Koch). Shrub, with long and slender, spiny or unarmed 

 branches, recurving or sarmentose, glabrous: Ivs. cune- 

 ate, narrow, oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, grayish 

 green, lJ^-2 in. long: fls. 1-4, long-pedicelled; corolla 

 J^in. across, limb about as long as tube; filaments hir- 

 sute at the base: fr. oval, orange-red or sometimes yel- 

 low, to J^in. long. May-Sept. China to S. E. Eu. Gn. 

 31, p. 334; 34, p. 63. B.B. (ed. 2) 3:168. G.W. 15, p. 

 346. Var. lanceolatum, Schneid. (L. lanceolatum, Poir.). 

 Lvs. lanceolate : frs. oval. Var. subglobdsum, Schneid. 

 (L. subglobosum, Dunal). Dwarf er: Ivs. lanceolate: frs. 

 subglobose. This species and also the following are 

 often confounded with L. europseum and L. barbarum, 

 which are chiefly distinguished by the filaments being 

 glabrous at the base, by the longer tube and by the 

 narrower and smaller Ivs. They are not hardy N. and 

 are rare in cult, while L. halimifolium and the following 

 are hardy. 



chinense, Mill. Fig. 2229. Similar to the former, of 

 more vigorous growth: branches to 12 ft. long: Ivs. 

 rhombic-ovate to lanceolate, bright green, l]^-3 in.: 

 fls. somewhat larger: fr. scarlet or bright orange-red, 

 ovate to oblong, sometimes almost 1 in. long. June- 

 Sept. China. G.F. 4:102. F.E. 28:641. The larger- 



fruited form is sometimes distinguished as var. ovatum, 

 Schneid. (L. rhombifolium, Dipp. L. ovatum, Poir. L. 

 chinense var. macrocdrpum, Hort.). Lvs. rhombic- 

 ovate, to 4 in. long: fr. very obtuse at the apex, large. 

 Var. inerme, Schelle, is a spineless form. 



BB. Corolla-lobes much shorter than the tube: fls. pale 



greenish white. 



pallidum, Miers. Fig. 2230. Much-branched upright 

 shrub, to 4 ft., with spreading, spiny branches: Ivs. 

 oblanceolate, obtuse, glaucous, somewhat fleshy, 1- 

 1J4 in. long: fls. solitary or in pairs, nodding, on short 

 pedicels; corolla pale greenish yellow or whitish, pinkish 

 at base, %in. long; tube about 3 times longer than the 

 broadly ovate obtuse lobes: berries globose, M~^ m - 

 across, scarlet. May, June; fr. in July-Aug. Ariz, and 

 UtahtoMex. B.M.8440. G.C. III. 46:232. G.F.I: 341 

 (adapted in Fig. 2230). M.D.G. 1908:209. Very florif- 

 erous and attractive from the peculiar color of 

 its fls., which are rather large for the genus; the 

 very ornamental frs. do not seem to be produced 

 regularly in cult. Does not produce suckers and 

 does not grow readily from cuttings. 



AA. Lvs. small, %in. long or shorter. 

 B. Foliage glabrous or puberulous. 



Richii, Gray. Shrub, with slender spiny branches: 

 Ivs. short-petioled, cuneate, obovate, obtuse, glabrous 

 or minutely puberulous when young, about J^in. long: 

 fls. usually 2-3; calyx as long as pedicels, with elongated 

 teeth; corolla J^in. long, tube longer than 4-lobed limb: 

 fr. globular, bright red, 34 m - across. May-Sept. S. Calif. 



horridum, Thunb. Erect, spiny, much-branched 

 shrub, to 3 ft., glabrous: Ivs. sessile, spatulate, glabrous, 

 about J^in. long: fls. short-pedicelled, small, whitish, 

 with rather slender tube and 3-4-lobed limb. S. Afr. 

 It is not certain whether the plant in the trade is the 

 true L. horridum of Thunberg described above, or L. 

 afrum, which is much used in S. Afr. for hedges; the 

 latter is easily distinguished by its large purple fls. 



BB. Foliage glandular-pubescent. 

 chilense, Bert. Shrub, with slender, often procum- 

 bent and mostly spineless branches: Ivs. cuneate at 

 base, oblong, glandular-pubescent on both sides, grayish 

 green, J^-^in. long: fls. usually solitary; pedicels longer 

 than the 5-lobed, whitish pubescent calyx; corolla about 

 %in. long, pubescent and yellowish outside, limb 5- 

 lobed, purplish within, about as long as tube : f r. orange- 

 red. July-Oct. Chile. The grayish color and gland- 

 ular pubescence gives the foliage a frosted appearance. 

 Intro. 1900 by Franceschi, Santa Barbara, Calif. 



L. dfrum, Linn. Upright, rigid, spiny: Ivs. linear-spatulate, 

 small: fls. solitary, tubular, with short limb, purple, 1 in. long. 

 N. and S. Afr. B.R. 354. L. bdrbarum, Linn. Spiny or rarely 

 unarmed shrub, similar to L. halimifolium: fls. 3-6; tube inside and 

 filaments at base glabrous, limb half as long as tube. N. Afr. L. 



2230. Lycium pallidum. ( X %) 



