SimplePlant

Solanaceae

Chinese desert-thorn

Lycium chinense Mill.

Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Lycium

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Chinese desert-thorn: Lycium chinense dans le Jardin Botanique de Marnay sur Seine, Aube, France
Photo: Sambuca, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (23)
Arabic
حضض صيني, عرقد صيني
Armenian
Հազազ չինական
Azerbaijani
Cin itüzümü
Belarusian
Ліцыюм кітайскі
Chinese
枸杞, 北方枸杞, 地骨皮, 枸杞子, 枸杞菜, 牛吉力, 狗奶子, 狗牙子
Czech
Kustovnice čínská
Dutch
Chinese boksdoorn
English
Chinese desert-thorn
Esperanto
Licio ĉina, Ĉina goji-bero
Finnish
Kiinanpukinpensas
French
Lyciet de Chine, Wolfberry
German
Chinesischer Bocksdorn
Greek
Λύκιο το σινικό
Japanese
クコ, クコシ, クコヨウ, 枸杞, 枸杞子, 枸杞葉
Korean
구기자나무
lzh
枸杞
Macedonian
Кинеска плетиплотка
Persian
لیسیوم چینی
Polish
Kolcowój chiński
Russian
Дереза китайская
Slovak
Kustovnica čínska
Swedish
Bredbladigt bocktörne
Welsh
Ysbeinwydden Tsieina

Synonyms

  • Boberella rhombifolia (Dippel) E.H.L.Krause
  • Lycium barbarum var. chinense (Mill.) Aiton
  • Lycium chinense f. megistocarpa (Dunal) A.Terracc.
  • Lycium chinense subf. trewiana (G.Don) A.Terracc.
  • Lycium chinense subsp. normale A.Terracc.
  • Lycium chinense var. chinense
  • Lycium chinense var. potaninii (Pojark.) A.M.Lu
  • Lycium chinense var. rhombifolium (Dippel) S.Z.Liou
  • Lycium europaeum Mérat ex Dunal
  • Lycium megistocarpa (Dunal) A.Terracc.
  • Lycium megistocarpum Dunal
  • Lycium potaninii Pojark.
  • Lycium rhombifolium Dippel
  • Lycium sinense hort. ex Miers
  • Lycium trewiana (G.Don) A.Terracc.
  • Lycium trewianum G.Don
  • Lycium trewianum Roem. & Schult.

Characteristics

Growth habit
Shrub, Vine
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

More in Lycium

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.