Lycium Barbarum, often misspelled Lyceum Barbarum...

Lycium Barbarum (also Wolfberry) is a species of bush in the family of Solonaceae. The original habitat is not quite clear but in present the Lycium Barbarum species are grown all over the world.  It is also known as Chinese Wolfberry, Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree, or Matrimony Vine. The name Tibetan Goji berry is in common use in the health food market for berries from this plant.

It is a bush that grows up to 2.0 meters high by 4.0 meters wide and prefers many types of soil from acid to alkaline and partial to full sun with moderate moisture. This plant tolerates poor soil and has hermaphrodite flowers and is hardy to zone and is pollinated by bees. Original habitat is obscure but probably S.E. Europe to S.W. Asia. Later on, it was naturalized in Britain. Hedges run on walls and waste ground. This plant might do well located in a hedge along a dappled edge along a sunny edge or in a forest garden. 

An easily grown plant, it does not require a rich soil, flowering and fruiting better in a well-drained soil of moderate quality. Succeeds in impoverished soils, but more fertile soils are best if the plant is being grown for its edible young shoots. It requires a sunny position. Some plants at Kew are growing well in light shade. The plant stands sea transportations. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. There are some named varieties, selected for their ornamental value. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can regrow from old wood. Any trimming is best carried out in the spring. Plants produce suckers freely and can become invasive when in a suitable position. Otherwise they can be difficult to establish. There is much confusion over the naming of this species. Most, if not all, of the plants being grown as L. Chinese or L. europaeum are in fact this species.

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually good and fairly quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Pinch out the shoot tips of the young plants in order to encourage bushy growth. The cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel is possible, July/August in individual pots in a frame. The cuttings of mature wood of the current season’s growth are performed from autumn to late winter in a cold frame. Due to this fact it gives a high percentage of good shoots. The division of suckers is better in late winter. Very easy, the suckers can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.

Wolfberry leaves form in an alternating arrangement or in bundles of up to three, each having a shape that is either spear-shaped or oval. Leaf dimensions are 7 cm long by 3.5 cm wide with blunted or round tips.

The bush has flowers, fruits and leaves. One to three flowers is on stems and is 1-2 cm length. The corolla is lavender or light purple, 9-14 cm long with five or six lobes shorter than the tube. The fruit is a berry about 2 cm in diameter. It has mild sweet liquorices flavor. Only the fully ripe fruits should be eaten. Young shoots Used mainly as a flavoring, they can also be lightly cooked for 3 - 4 minutes and used as a vegetable, and the flavor is somewhat cress-like but has also been described as peppermint-like. The leaves wilt rapidly once they have been harvested. Some caution is advised; see notes at top of the page. The leaves are a tea substitute.

  In the northern hemisphere, flowering occurs from June through September and berry maturation from August to October, depending on latitude, altitude, and climate.

Lycium Barbarum produces a bright orange-red, ellipsoid berry. The number of seeds in each berry varies widely based on cultivar and fruit size, containing anywhere between 10-60 tiny yellow seeds that are compressed with a curved embryo. The berries ripen from August to October in the Northern hemisphere.

  Lycium Barbarum is almost never found in their fresh form outside of its production regions, and is usually sold in open bins and small packages in dried form. It is used as hedge, soil stabilization, antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, antipyretic, cancer, diuretic, hypoglycemic, ophthalmic, purgative, skin, tonic, vasodilator, fruit, leaves, tea.

One of the highest numbers of the production of wolfberries comes from north-central China and the western China. The reputation of wolfberries from China is widespread throughout Asia. Government performs annual wolfberry production, premium fruit grades for the region recognized for formation of an industrial association of growers, processors, marketers, and scholars of wolfberry cultivation to promote the berry's commercial and export potential

In addition, commercial volumes of wolfberries grow in other parts of the Chinese regions. The elongated, red berries are very tender and must be picked carefully or shaken from the vine into salvers or bags to avoid spoiling. The fruits are preserved by slowly drying them in the shade on air exchange tablets or by mechanical dehydration employing a progressively increasing series of heat exposure over 48 hours.

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