BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Lycium berlandieri | Berlandier Wolfberry 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Berlandier wolfberry is a spiny shrub up to 7 feet (2 m) tall with few,
spreading branches.  The axillary flowers are bell-shaped and are borne
singly or in clusters.  The fruit is a red juicy berry with 8 to 30
seeds [41].  Berlandier wolfberry sheds its leaves and becomes dormant
during drought but quickly refoliates when conditions are more favorable
[23].  Berlandier wolfberry is long-lived, with an average life span of
about 90 years [35].  Individuals of at least 72 years of age have been
observed at the Desert Labratory near Tucson, Arizona [15].

The roots of wolfberry species are tough and fibrous.  Root systems are
relatively extensive in comparison with the aerial portions, often
extending 25 to 30 feet (7.5-9.0 m) from the plant [39].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Berlandier wolfberry regenerates from cuttings, root suckering, and
layering [41].  It may also sprout from the base when damaged [41].

Berlandier wolfberry seeds are dispersed by birds and other animals [27].

Good seed crops are produced by wolfberry species almost every year.
After extraction, seeds should by dried and stored in sealed containers
at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 deg C), or stratified in moist sand.
Stratified seeds of other wolfberry species maintain good viability for
6 months.  Dormancy in wolfberry seeds is variable.  Some wolfberries
germinate well without pretreatment, while germination of others was
improved by stratification.  Seeds can be sown in the fall as soon as
the fruits ripen, or stratified seed can be sown in the spring and
covered lightly with about 0.25-inch (0.64-cm) of soil.  Two-year-old
seedlings may be outplanted [34].
 


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Berlandier wolfberry is found on flats, along washes or arroyos, on dry,
gravelly to sandy hills and bajadas, and on rocky slopes [6,23,31,30].
It also grows on or around saline flats or playas in the Chihuahuan
Desert, but is not restricted to such sites [19,28].  Berlandier
wolfberry is generally found at elevations up to 3,000 feet (900 m) in
Arizona and Texas [23,41] but occurs from 2,100 to 4,600 feet (636-1,400
m) elevation in the Trans-Pecos region [31].



SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
On the Rio Grande Plains of southern Texas, succession may proceed from
grassland or savanna to closed canopy shrublands or woodlands.  Mesquite
(Prosopis spp.) generally invades the grasslands or savanna initially,
and may act as a nurse tree for the establishment of other woody
species.  Mesquite and the nursed plants form discrete clusters.
Berlandier wolfberry establishes in these clusters about 45 to 52 years
after initial establishment of mesquite.  The clusters eventually become
continuous and form a closed canopy [1,2].  Berlandier wolfberry is
found in mesic mesquite-hackberry shrublands that are considered climax
associations on certain sites in southern Texas [28].




SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Berlandier wolfberry flowers from March to September in Arizona [23] and
from February to October in the Trans-Pecos region [31].  It flowered in
October after fall rains in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas [42].

Related categories for Species: Lycium berlandieri | Berlandier Wolfberry