Lycium fremontii
Fremont's wolfberry, fremont's desert thorn
(c) W. Terry Hunefeld, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Lycium fremontii (Fremont's wolfberry) is a native California shrub in the Solanaceae family, recognized by separate sexes, large purple flowers, and many seeds.
Fremont's wolfberry is a California native shrub found on the eastern slope of the Peninsular Ranges and southern Colorado Desert in alkaline flats at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces deep lavender to purple (or nearly white) flowers with purple veins, approximately 8 to 20 millimeters long. Growing up to 3 meters tall with spreading to ascending branches that are glandular-hairy, the shrub forms an open, distinctive shape. Its leaves are narrowly obovate, measuring 10 to 25 millimeters long, with a delicate texture and sparse arrangement. The fruit is a bright red berry 6 to 8 millimeters in size, containing 40 to 60 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 5 sympatric species; key features are separate sexes, large purple flowers, and many seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Alkaline soils, flats
Elevation: < 500 m
California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Clara
Outside California: southern Arizona, northwestern Mexico
Bloom period
Lycium fremontii blooms Mar-Apr.
How to tell it apart
vs Prunus: Lycium has small tubular nightshade flowers; Prunus has 5-petaled rose-family flowers with many stamens.; vs Salvia: Lycium has thorny branches; Salvia has square stems and 2-lipped mint-family flowers without thorns.; vs Ceanothus: Lycium has thorns and tubular flowers; Ceanothus has tiny clustered flowers and no thorns.; vs Tetradymia: Lycium has tubular nightshade flowers; Tetradymia has yellow daisy-like composite flowers.; vs Atriplex: Lycium has tubular flowers and thorns; Atriplex has tiny wind-pollinated flowers without petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lycium fremontii native to California?
Yes. Lycium fremontii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lycium fremontii bloom?
Lycium fremontii blooms Mar-Apr.
Where in California does Lycium fremontii grow?
Lycium fremontii occurs in San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, at elevations of < 500 m.
What plant family does Lycium fremontii belong to?
Lycium fremontii is in the Solanaceae family, genus Lycium.
What habitat does Lycium fremontii grow in?
Lycium fremontii grows in Alkaline soils, flats.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.