Common Name

Australian Boxthorn

Family

Solanaceae

Notes

Shrub to 2.5m tall. Branches often ending in a spine. Leaves in clusters, or sometimes alternating up the stems on new growth, fleshy, 0.3-2.5cm long, mostly 1.5-5mm wide, flat, hairless. Flowers creamy white to mauve, sometimes tinged purplish brown outside, funnel-shaped, with five lobes, 1-2 at the bases of the leaf clusters. Fruit orange-red.

Differs from Lycium ferocissimum in that the branches are straight, and often spine-tipped.

Differs from Lycium barbarum in that the fruit is round.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 586-587

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lycium~australe

Online fact sheet published by the South Australian Herbarium: http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanaceae%20species/key/Australian%20Solanaceae%20species/Media/Html/Lycium_australe.htm

FloraBase photos: http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/photo/6967