''Lycium ferocissimum'', the African boxthorn or boxthorn, is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

in the nightshade

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(

Solanaceae Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...

) indigenous to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Distribution

The species is native to the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

and

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

provinces in

, where it tends to occur in sands along the southern coast. It has also been recorded in the Free State, but these may represent introductions. It has been widely introduced in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, as far north as Morocco.Venter, A.M. (2000). Taxonomy of the Genus ''Lycium'' L. (Solanaceae) in Africa. Thesis (Ph.D. (Botany and Genetics))--University of the Free State. https://scholar.ufs.ac.za/handle/11660/1960?show=full It has been recorded in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. This shrub is found in other Mediterranean countries such as

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. There is one record in France from 2020. It has become naturalised in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is listed in Australia's Weed of National Significance list and is a declared noxious weed in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Description

African boxthorn is a large shrub which grows up to high and is covered in spines. The spines are of randomly varying lengths along the branch and, unlike most other species of ''Lycium'' (except for '' Lycium amoenum''), they take the form of stout "peg-thorns". The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are oval in shape and are long and in width. The broadly obovate or elliptical shape of the leaves can serve to distinguish this species from many other similar species of ''Lycium'', which tend to have narrower leaves. The solitary flowers emerge from the leaf axils. The corolla is funnel-shaped with large, reflexed, pale purple lobes (petals). The

calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...

is tubular and encloses most of the corolla (a character shared with ''

Lycium pumilum ''Lycium pumilum'' is a shrub in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) indigenous to South Africa and Namibia. Distribution The species is widespread across the dry western interior parts of South Africa, specifically the Cape Provinces as well as ...

''). This latter character, the calyx that is at least two thirds of the length of the corolla, serves to distinguish this species from many of its relatives. The species was first formally described in 1854 by British botanist John Miers in the ''

Annals and Magazine of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') ...

''. His description was based on plant material collected from

Uitenhage Uitenhage ( ; ), officially renamed Kariega, is a South African town in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. Along with the city of Port El ...

Habitat and ecology

This species grows on dry, stony and/or sandy terrain, such as sand dunes, cliffs, banks and roadsides. Its seeds are dispersed by small mammals and birds, which eat the red berries of this plant.

''Lycium ferocissimum'' in Cyprus

File:Lycium ferocissimum in Cyprus.jpg, ''Lycium ferocissimum'' fruit in Cyprus File:Lycium ferocissimum Cyprus fruit inside view.jpg , ''Lycium ferocissimum'' Cyprus fruit inside view File:Lycium ferocissimum in Cyprus Flower.jpg , ''Lycium ferocissimum'' flower in Cyprus

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q151022 ferocissimum Albany thickets Fynbos Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of the Free State Flora of Lesotho