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Lycium carolinianum
Carolina Desert-thorn
Christmasberry
Matrimony Vine
Florida native
A frequent shrub of beach dunes, shell mounds,hammocks, salt marshes and salt flats along much of the Florida coast. The range extends along the southeastern coast from Texas into South Carolina.
The sprawling, spiny branches can be up to 2 or 3 meters ( 6-10 feet) long. Alternate, spatulate, succulent leaves are 1 - 2.5 cm (3/8 - 1 in.) long and 4 - 6 mm (3/16 - 1/4 in.) wide. The pale violet to nearly white four-lobed flowers are 1 cm (3/8 in.) in width and typically appear in summer and fall, although may bloom all year in south Florida. The elliptic berry is bright red.
Lycium carolinianum gets one of the common names - Christmasberry - from the red berries that are often present in December.
Lycium carolinianum is a member of the Solanaceae - Potato family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 07, 2016
