Lycium L.

Solanaceae, Jennifer M Edmonds. Oliganthes, Melongena & Monodolichopus, Maria S. Vorontsova & Sandra Knapp. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2012

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs, sub-shrubs or small trees.

Morphology Stem

Stems with long shoots bearing alternate leaves and short shoots terminating in a spine with fasciculate leaves; nodes usually swollen brachyblasts

Morphology Leaves

Leaves fasciculate on brachyblasts or alternate, membranaceous or succulent. Inflorescences axillary, solitary or occasionally paired, rarely in manyflowered terminal fascicles, epedunculate; flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, usually hermaphrodite, but a few species functionally dioecious; pedicels filiform, usually erect, rarely deflexed in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tubular, campanulate or cupulate, with 4–5 equal or unequal calyx lobes which enlarge in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla urceolate, tubular, salverform or infundibular; tube narrow and straight but often constricted above the ovary, with spreading or reflexed imbricate lobes; corolla often detaching after anthesis leaving an annular ring around ovary base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens usually unequal, often comprising two long, two medium and one short, rarely only 4, exserted or included; filaments joined to corolla tube at same or different levels, straight or flexuose, cylindrical or enlarged at point of fusion, often pubescent towards base, usually glabrous where free; anthers usually all fertile though occasionally sterile especially in functionally female flowers, ovoid, obovoid or sagittate, dorsifixed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 2-locular, ovules numerous; disc annular, inconspicuous and greenish, or prominent when red or orange; style filiform, glabrous, usually exserted; stigma capitate or discoidal, bilobed (style stunted and stigma absent from functionally male flowers)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a many-seeded berry, rarely drupaceous with two pyrenes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds usually numerous, occasionally only one in each locule, small; testa crustaceous, reticulate-foveolate.

Note

A large genus of 75 to 100 species, which are found throughout the world. Around 30 to 40 species are probably native to the Old World especially South Africa, but only L. europaeum L. and L. shawii Roem. & Schult. have been recorded from East Africa. However, Venter ( pers. comm.) considers many specimens to have been misidentified and believes that, as discussed below, only L. shawii occurs throughout this region.

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 8, Part 4. Solanaceae. Gonçalves AE. 2005

Morphology General

Shrubs or occasionally small trees, sometimes scandent, sometimes halophytic, densely branched and usually spinescent, with brachyblasts on older branches and spines, glabrous or with an indumentum of multicellular, uniseriate, simple or branched, glandular or eglandular hairs, variously combined in different species

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels slender, filiform but thickened distally

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk annular, adnate to and surrounding the basal part of the ovary, prominent or inconspicuous Disk annular, adnate to and surrounding the basal part of the ovary, prominent or inconspicuous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 2-locular; ovules usually numerous (elsewhere rarely one) in each locule, on a fleshy, axile placenta, hemicampylotropous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style erect, filiform, straight.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigma dilated, obtuse and 2-lobed, exserted to various degrees, undeveloped in functionally male flowers

Note

Most Lycium species are bisexual, but cryptic dioecy occurs in six African species, including L. horridum Thunb. and L. villosum Schinz from the Flora Zambesiaca area. The flowers of the functionally male plants tend to have a narrowly funnel-shaped corolla with 2–3 of the fertile stamens exserted and the undeveloped style and stigma not apparent externally. The flowers of the functionally female plants are tubular, the sterile stamens completely included and the fully developed style and stigma exserted. A cosmopolitan genus of approximately 90 species, widely distributed in warm to temperate regions, the largest number concentrated in South America mainly in Argentina, and also in Southern Africa; 8 species recorded from the Flora Zambesiaca area. Venter, loc. cit. (2000), noted that species of Lycium hybridize readily, but local hybrids are quite easy to detect in the field. L. villosum Schinz and L. horridum are both considered to be of hybrid origin. Chromosome base number: x=12

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or occasionally small trees, sometimes scandent, sometimes halophytic, densely branched and usually spinescent, with brachyblasts on older branches and spines, glabrous or with an indumentum of multicellular, uniseriate, simple or branched, glandular or eglandular hairs, variously combined in different species.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves solitary and alternate on young stems and spines or fascicled on brachyblasts, subsessile or petiolate, herbaceous to succulent, often covered by a waxy excrescence consisting primarily of calcium oxalate, usually entire. Leaves solitary and alternate on young stems and spines or fascicled on brachyblasts, subsessile or petiolate, herbaceous to succulent, often covered by a waxy excrescence consisting primarily of calcium oxalate, usually entire

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers mostly solitary among fascicled leaves, seldom paired, elsewhere rarely in a terminal (pseudo-axillary) congested cincinnus, actinomorphic, bisexual, functionally monoecious in a few species; pedicels slender, filiform but thickened distally. Flowers mostly solitary among fascicled leaves, seldom paired, elsewhere rarely in a terminal (pseudo-axillary) congested cincinnus, actinomorphic, bisexual, functionally monoecious in a few species.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx shorter than or ± as long as the corolla; tube campanulate to tubular, (4)5-lobed (elsewhere sometimes truncate), infrequently slightly 2-lipped; lobes equal to slightly unequal, shorter than or as long as the tube, with valvate aestivation; in fruit enlarged and lacerate. Calyx shorter than or ± as long as the corolla; tube campanulate to tubular, (4)5-lobed (elsewhere sometimes truncate), infrequently slightly 2-lipped; lobes equal to slightly unequal, shorter than or as long as the tube, with valvate aestivation; in fruit enlarged and lacerate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tubular or infundibuliform to campanulate, somewhat restricted above the ovary before expanding, variously coloured, pilose on the inside at the point of filament insertion and below it or sometimes glabrous; limb (4)5-lobed in the Flora Zambesiaca area, spreading or reflexed, the lobes often violet, shorter than the tube (elsewhere sometimes longer), with imbricate aestivation. Corolla tubular or infundibuliform to campanulate, somewhat restricted above the ovary before expanding, variously coloured, pilose on the inside at the point of filament insertion and below it or sometimes glabrous; limb (4)5-lobed in the Flora Zambesiaca area, spreading or reflexed, the lobes often violet, shorter than the tube (elsewhere sometimes longer), with imbricate aestivation

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens (4)5, from unequal to subequal, the filaments inserted from just above the base of corolla tube to just below the corolla mouth, subulate (elsewhere sometimes basally enlarged and glandular), usually pilose at the base, included or exserted; anthers all fertile in bisexual or functionally male flowers, sterile in functionally female flowers, ovate-oblong to ovate in outline, dorsifixed with the thecae separated from each other for the lower third or half, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Stamens (4)5, from unequal to subequal, the filaments inserted from just above the base of corolla tube to just below the corolla mouth, subulate (elsewhere sometimes basally enlarged and glandular), usually pilose at the base, included or exserted; anthers all fertile in bisexual or functionally male flowers, sterile in functionally female flowers, ovate-oblong to ovate in outline, dorsifixed with the thecae separated from each other for the lower third or half, dehiscing by longitudinal slits

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Staminodes

Staminodes absent in the Flora Zambesiaca area. Staminodes absent in the Flora Zambesiaca area

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary 2-locular; ovules usually numerous (elsewhere rarely one) in each locule, on a fleshy, axile placenta, hemicampylotropous; style erect, filiform, straight; stigma dilated, obtuse and 2-lobed, exserted to various degrees, undeveloped in functionally male flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit red, black or yellow, glossy, usually baccaceous, rarely drupaceous with 2 pyrenes, globose, ovoid or conical, glabrous, sometimes thin-walled. Fruit red, black or yellow, glossy, usually baccaceous, rarely drupaceous with 2 pyrenes, globose, ovoid or conical, glabrous, sometimes thin-walled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds usually numerous (to only one) in each locule, discoidal, reniform or ovate in outline; testa leathery or crustaceous, reticulate-foveolate; embryo curved, of uniform in diameter; radicle terete; cotyledons semi-terete; endosperm usually abundant. Seeds usually numerous (to only one) in each locule, discoidal, reniform or ovate in outline; testa leathery or crustaceous, reticulate-foveolate; embryo curved, of uniform in diameter; radicle terete; cotyledons semi-terete; endosperm usually abundant

Cytology

Chromosome base number: x=12.