Lycium barbarum

Matrimony vine, goji berry

Family: Solanaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Matrimony vine is a naturalized shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada, Great Valley, southern California Coast, and Modesto Plains in disturbed areas and fields at elevations below 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces white flowers with dark purple veins and lavender to violet lobes, approximately 8 to 13 millimeters long. Growing up to 3 meters tall with curved to arched branches, the shrub has no thorns or only short ones. Its leaves are petioled, 2 to 6 centimeters long, ranging from lanceolate to oblong or oblanceolate in shape. The fruit is a bright red berry approximately 1 centimeter long, containing 4 to 20 seeds.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, fields, escaped from cultivation

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: < 2100 m

Bioregions: s SN, GV, SCo, MP, expected elsewhere

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.