Lycium torreyi

Torrey's wolfberry

Family: Solanaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Torrey's wolfberry is a California native shrub found in southern Desert Mountains and Desert Sonoran bioregions in washes and streambanks at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate green-lavender or white flowers 5 to 15 millimeters long with densely woolly-ciliate lobes. Growing up to 3.5 meters tall with slender, somewhat climbing twigs, this shrub has a distinctive branching structure that allows it to spread across its desert habitat. Its narrow leaves range from 1 to 5 centimeters long, typically appearing oblanceolate to obovate and clustered with small hair tufts. The fruit is a bright red or orange berry 6 to 10 millimeters long, providing a striking contrast against the plant's muted green foliage.

Habitat: Washes, streambanks

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 700 m

Bioregions: s DMoj, DSon

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