Lycium torreyi aka Torrey's Lycium

Lycium torreyi is a shrub in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It goes by Torrey wolfberry and Torrey desert thorn. Its home range spans southern Utah, western Texas, and northern Mexico. It grows in deserts and dry shrubland. Wild plants grow along washes and on bench lands. These sites include creosote bush scrub below 1,970 feet [600 metres].

The shrub grows to about 10 feet [3 metres] tall. It is deciduous, which means it sheds its leaves each year. Its broad roots help hold soil in place. This makes it useful on banks that need support. Plants also grow suckers, which can yield new shrubs. A sunny woodland edge is another suggested place to grow it.

The flowers have both male and female organs. Bees pollinate them. You can eat the fruit fresh or cooked when fully ripe. People seek wild fruit for food. PFAF rates its food value at two out of five. It lists no confirmed cases of poisoning for this species. This does not prove that all plant parts are safe. PFAF urges care with leaves and fruit that is not ripe. Many plants in its family are poisonous.

PFAF lists sand, loam, and clay as soils that suit it. It also lists mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soil. The shrub prefers soil that drains well. It can grow in poor soil. It needs an open site and cannot grow in shade. The soil may be dry or moist. The plant also copes with coastal exposure. How much cold it can bear in Britain remains unclear. PFAF suggests that only Britain's mildest areas might suit it. This is an estimate, not a tested hardiness rating.

PFAF lists sowing seeds under glass in spring to grow new plants. Keep young plants under cover for their first winter. Then plant them out. Pinch the tips of young shoots to help plants grow bushier. Cuttings taken in summer offer another way to grow new plants. So do wood cuttings taken in the dormant season, when growth rests. You can also divide suckers in late winter. The source notes past use of heated roots for toothache. It also notes use of the plant for chickenpox. These past uses do not prove that treatment works or is safe.