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Solanaceae FAMILY

Lycium europaeum

Lycium europaeum

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Some caution should be exercised with this species, particularly with regard to its edible leaves, since it belongs to a family that often contains toxins. However, use of the leaves is well documented and fairly widespread in some areas.

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

An easily grown plant, it does not require a rich soil, flowering and fruiting better in a well-drained soil of moderate quality[1, 2, 3]. Succeeds in impoverished soils[3]. Requires a sunny position[3]. Tolerates maritime exposure[3]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it tolerates temperatures down to about -5°c and succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of the country[3]. There is much confusion between this species and the closely related L. barbarum and L. chinense. Most, if not all, of the plants being grown as L. europaeum in Britain are in fact L.barbarum[2, 4, 3]. Many botanists unite the three species under the name L. barbarum, though they are distinct[3].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Germination is usually good and fairly quick. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Pinch out the shoot tips of the young plants in order to encourage bushy growth[5]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel if possible, mid summer in individual pots in a frame. Good percentage[5]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, autumn to late winter in a cold frame. High percentage[5, 3]. Division of suckers in late winter. Very easy, the suckers can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Lycium+europaeum>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Flora Europaea — ? · Cambridge University Press · 1964 · ISBN - ↩︎An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
  5. [5]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  6. [6]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  7. [7]The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. — Matthews. V. · Royal Horticultural Society · 1994 · ISBN 1352-4186 ↩︎A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.
  8. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎