Solanaceae
Carolina desert-thorn
Lycium carolinianum
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Genus
- Lycium
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Common names
By language (2)
- English
- Carolina desert-thorn, Hawai'i desert-thorn
- Finnish
- Joulupukinpensas
Synonyms
- Evoista caroliniana (Walter) Raf.
- Lycium carolinianum f. carolinianum
- Lycium carolinianum subsp. sandwicense (A.Gray) A.Terracc.
- Lycium carolinianum var. carolinianum
- Lycium carolinianum var. gaumeri C.L.Hitchc.
- Lycium carolinianum var. normale A.Terracc.
- Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum (Dunal) C.L.Hitchc.
- Lycium quadrifidum Moc. & Sessé ex Dunal
- Lycium sandwicense A.Gray
- Panzeria caroliniana (Walter) J.F.Gmel.
Flowers
- Flower colour
- purple (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: native
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Patricio Novoa, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Abby Darrah, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Vincent Weber, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Tia Offner, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Homer Edward Price, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Sesamehoneytart, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Lycium
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- Pale desert-thornLycium pallidumSolanaceae
- Water jacketLycium andersoniiSolanaceae
- Lycium chilenseSolanaceae
- Arabian boxthornLycium shawiiSolanaceae
- Peach thornLycium cooperiSolanaceae
- Fremont's desert-thornLycium fremontiiSolanaceae
- Baja desert-thornLycium brevipesSolanaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.