Solanaceae

Pale desert-thorn

Lycium pallidum Miers

Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Lycium

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Pale desert-thorn (Lycium pallidum) — FlowerPhoto: Cecelia Alexander, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (5)

Arabic: حضض شاحب, عرقد شاحب
arz: الشاحبة الليسيوم
English: Pale desert-thorn
Greek: Πελιδνό λύκιο
nv: Haashchʼéʼédą́ą́ʼ

Synonyms

Lycium pallidum f. pallidum
Lycium pallidum subsp. normale A.Terracc.
Lycium pallidum subsp. pallidum
Lycium pallidum subvar. pallidum
Lycium pallidum var. normale A.Terracc.
Lycium pallidum var. oligospermum C.L.Hitchc.
Lycium pallidum var. pallidum

Flowers

In flower: April to May (from 66 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: purple (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Cecelia Alexander, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: LM Cunningham, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Henrik Kibak, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Anders Hastings, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: lejones417, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Indio Brown, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bruce Hartman, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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.