Kingdom Plantae Family Solanaceae Genus Lycium | Order Solanales Tribe Lycieae Rank Species | |
Similar Lycium fremontii, Lycium berlandieri, Lycium pallidum, Lycium europaeum, Lycium carolinianum | ||
Lycium afrum L., the Kraal honey thorn (Afrikaans Kraalkriekdoring) is a shrub in the potato family (Solanaceae). The species is native to the Cape Province in South Africa. It has appeared in Australia and is regarded with some concern as possibly invasive. Australian government factsheets remark that in Australia it is an uncommon hedge plant, sparingly naturalised in a few areas in Victoria. [1].
Description
Lycium afrum is a moderate-sized shrub that may grow as high as 3 metres (9.8 ft) and is formidably armed with straight, woody thorns.
Its leaves are leathery and tufted on short shoots.
It bears tubular purple flowers 12–20 millimetres (0.47–0.79 in) long, with flared petals about one quarter the length of the tube.
The fruit is a subspherical berry, red when ripe, eaten by birds.
It is not clear how safe it is to eat the fruit, though berries of some species of Lycium certainly are eaten with impunity by humans and animals.