Shrubs erect, 0.7–2.5 m; bark tan to gray to reddish or almost black; stems glabrous or pubescent. Leaves: blade linear to spatulate, 1.5–15 × 1–4.5 mm, surfaces glabrous. Inflorescences 2–3-flowered fascicles or solitary flowers. Pedicels 3–20 mm. Flowers 4–5-merous; calyx cupulate, 1–3 mm, lobe lengths 0.3 times tube; corolla white to pale lavender, tubular to funnelform, 4–9 mm, lobe lengths 0.17–0.3 times tube; stamens included to exserted. Berries orange to red, globose, 5 mm, fleshy. Seeds 50+. 2n = 24.

Phenology: Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat: Desert washes, rocky slopes, flats (Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts).
Elevation: 300–900 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Ariz., N.Mex., Okla., Tex., Mexico (Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas).

Discussion

Within the flora area, Lycium berlandieri occurs in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas; it has been reported from western Oklahoma (Harmon and Jackson counties).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.