Matrimony vine is the shrub that produces most goji berries, grown for centuries in northwestern China. In the United States it has escaped from gardens and , especially in the eastern half of the country.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous shrub 3–10 ft (1–3 m) tall with long, weak, arching branches. Short side branches often end in spines.
- Leaves
- Narrow, lance-shaped leaves only about ⅛–¼ in (3–6 mm) wide, growing singly or in small bundles.
- Flowers
- Small, funnel-shaped purple flowers in ones to threes at the leaf bases.
- Fruit
- Oblong, orange-red berries ½–¾ in (1–2 cm) long, each with many small seeds.
Look-alikes
Chinese matrimony vineLycium chinense
L. barbarum has narrower leaves, about ⅛–¼ in (3–6 mm) wide versus up to 1½ in (4 cm). In flower, its lobes are shorter than the tube and the has 2 lobes; Chinese matrimony vine has lobes as long as or longer than the tube and 3–5 calyx lobes.
Why they get mixed upBoth are thorny, arching Asian shrubs with purple flowers and red goji berries, and both have naturalized in the eastern U.S.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Roadsides
- Forest edges
- Waste ground
- Around homes
- Range
- Native to dry northwestern China. Naturalized across much of the U.S., especially the eastern half, including all six New England states.
- Preferred conditions
- Tough and drought-tolerant; in China it is planted to stabilize soil and reclaim desert land.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Goji has been farmed on the Yellow River floodplain in China for more than 600 years, and the Ningxia region is its leading producer.
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