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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
ABBREVIATION :
LYCTOR
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
LYTO
COMMON NAMES :
Torrey wolfberry
desert thorn
boxthorn
squawberry
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of Torrey wolfberry is Lycium
torreyi Gray. (Solanaceae) [9,12,18,19,26,27]. There are no recognized
subspecies, varieties, or forms.
LIFE FORM :
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Robin F. Matthews, May 1994
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Matthews, Robin F. 1994. Lycium torreyi. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Torrey wolfberry is distributed from Utah and Nevada to southern
California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Its range also
extends south into Mexico [9,12,18,19,26,27].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
STATES :
AZ CA NV NM TX UT MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
DEVA GLCA GRCA LAME WHSA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K027 Mesquite bosque
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K041 Creosotebush
K042 Creosotebush - bursage
K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
SAF COVER TYPES :
68 Mesquite
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Torrey wolfberry is characteristic of mesquite (Prosopis
glandulosa)-fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) vegetation in the
Chihuahuan Desert on deep, fine alluvium near shallow arroyos and on
alluvial fans and bajadas. Other associated species include
creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), prickly
pear and cholla (Opuntia spp.), and agave (Agave scabra). Torrey
wolfberry is also found in alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides)
grasslands in deep, calcareous alluvial deposits near arroyos and in
intermontane habitats along the margins of mesquite communities [8].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Specific information regarding the use of Torrey wolfberry by livestock
or wildlife is not available in the literature. Wolfberry (Lycium spp.)
foliage is sometimes browsed by livestock [12,19]. Torrey wolfberry
fruits are probably consumed by birds and rodents, as are those of other
wolfberry species [13,15].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
Dense thickets of Torrey wolfberry presumably provide cover for birds
and small mammals.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Specific information regarding the use of Torrey wolfberry for
rehabilitating disturbed sites is not available in the literature.
Wolfberry species, however, have been used to rehabilitate abandoned
farmland in Sonoran Desert lowlands and on disturbed sites near Red
Rock, Arizona. The sites were restored by establishing berms on the
contour and then seeding with wolfberry and other desert shrubs [11].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Historically, Native Americans have eaten wolfberry berries and have
used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes [12,19,26].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Torrey wolfberry is a spiny to spineless shrub up to 10 feet (3 m) tall
with many spreading branches. The axillary flowers are funnel-shaped
and are borne in small fascicles. The fruit is a red, juicy berry with
8 to 30 seeds [9,18,26,27]. Torrey wolfberry sheds its leaves and
becomes dormant during drought but quickly refoliates when conditions
become more favorable [12]. Torrey wolfberry often forms dense thickets
[19].
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 [25].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Although no specific information is available on Torrey wolfberry
reproduction, it probably regenerates from cuttings, root suckering, and
layering, as do other wolfberry species. Like other wolfberries, Torrey
wolfberry may sprout from the base when damaged [26].
Torrey wolfberry seeds are probably dispersed by birds and other
animals, as are seeds of other wolfberries [17].
Good seed crops are produced by wolfberry species almost every year.
After extraction, seeds should be dried and stored in sealed containers
at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 deg C), or stratified in moist sand.
Stratified seeds of some wolfberry species maintain good viability for 6
months. Dormancy in wolfberry seeds is variable. Some wolfberry seeds
germinate well without pretreatment, while germination of others is
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 [22].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Torrey wolfberry is found in washes and arroyos, along streams and
rivers, and on flats [9,18,19,26]. It commonly grows in silty, sandy,
or alluvial soils [19], and often occupies saline or alkaline sites
[19,26]. Torrey wolfberry is generally found below 3,000 feet (900 m)
elevation in Arizona and Texas [12,26], below 2,000 feet (600 m)
elevation in California [9,18], and at elevations of 2,500 to 3,800 feet
(760-1,160 m) in Utah [27].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Torrey wolfberry usually flowers from March or April to June
[12,18,25,26]. Flowers may also be produced after fall rains [19].
Fruits are available from June to September [25,26].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Many perennial desert shrubs are not well adapted to fire [4], but some
may exhibit fire adaptive traits [16]. Generally, these traits are only
weakly developed [21].
Because most wolfberries sprout from the root crown after damage, and
Torrey wolfberry probably sprouts after fire [16,26]. However, it may
take many years for desert shrubs to regain their former densities on
burned sites [21]. The sprouting ability of pale wolfberry is most
likely dependent on fire severity. Dense clumps of brush containing
Torrey wolfberry may be somewhat impervious to fire, as are clumps
containing Berlandier wolfberry (L. berlandieri) [2].
Wolfberry species seedling establishment was noted after a fire at a
Sonoran Desert site. The seeds may have survived the fire in the soil
or on burned plants, or may have been dispersed from adjacent unburned
areas [21].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Severe fires may kill Torrey wolfberry, but low- to moderate-severity
fires probably only consume its aerial portions.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Specific information on the response of Torrey wolfberry to fire is not
available in the literature. In general, wolfberry species sprouted
rapidly after controlled June fires in Sonoran Desert scrub vegetation
near Phoenix, Arizona. The well developed wolfberry root systems
escaped damage from the fire, allowing them to capitalize on increased
water and nitrogen availablity in the postfire environment. Wolfberries
had established their former density and cover by 35 months after the
fire. Wolfberry plants had similiar responses in both open shrub and
tree microhabitats [16].
Wolfberry species sprouted and seedlings established within 3 years
following a June wildfire in a Sonoran Desert scrub community near
Phoenix, Arizona. No information was given on fire severity or
intensity [21].
Berlandier wolfberry was reduced by prescribed fires in southern Texas
[2,3,7], but the effects were short-lived and canopy diameter had
recovered to prefire levels by the end of the first growing season
following the fire [7].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fires are not prevalent in many desert communities due to wide spacing
between shrubs and sparse ground cover [4,10]. Unusually heavy winter
rains, however, may produce a cover of annual species dense enough to
carry a fire when cured [10]. Many perennial desert shrubs are poorly
adapted to fire [4]. Wolfberries in particular may be susceptible to
repeated burning [16]. Postfire colonization by desert shrubs is very
slow initially and may take hundreds of years [4,21]. Rogers and Steele
[21] suggested a conservative approach when using fire to manage desert
regions.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Lycium torreyi | Torrey Wolfberry
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Box, Thadis W.; Powell, Jeff; Drawe, D. Lynn. 1967. Influence of fire on
south Texas chaparral communities. Ecology. 48(6): 955-961. [499]
3. Box, Thadis W.; White, Richard S. 1969. Fall and winter burning of south
Texas brush ranges. Journal of Range Management. 22(6): 373-376.
[11438]
4. Brown, David E.; Minnich, Richard A. 1986. Fire and changes in creosote
bush scrub of the western Sonoran Desert, California. American Midland
Naturalist. 116(2): 411-422. [537]
5. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
6. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
7. Hamilton, Wayne T. 1980. Suppressing undesirable plants in buffelgrass
range with prescribed fire. In: White, Larry D., ed. Prescribed range
burning in the Rio Grande Plains of Texas: Proceedings of a symposium;
1979 November 7; Carrizo Springs, TX. College Station, TX: The Texas A&M
University System, Texas Agricultural Extension Service: 12-21. [11459]
8. Henrickson, James; Johnston, Marshall C. 1986. Vegetation and community
types of the Chihuahuan Desert. In: Barlow, J. C.; [and others], eds.
Chihuahuan Desert--U.S. and Mexico, II. Alpine, TX: Sul Ross State
University: 20-39. [12979]
9. Hickman, James C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of
California. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1400 p.
[21992]
10. Humphrey, Robert R. 1974. Fire in the deserts and desert grassland of
North America. In: Kozlowski, T. T.; Ahlgren, C. E., eds. Fire and
ecosystems. New York: Academic Press: 365-400. [14064]
11. Jackson, Laura L.; McAuliffe, Joseph R.; Roundy, Bruce A. 1991. Desert
restoration. Restoration & Management Notes. 9(2): 71-79. [22746]
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Elizabeth. 1960. Arizona flora. 2d ed. Berkeley, CA: University of
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13. Kelly, George W. 1970. A guide to the woody plants of Colorado. Boulder,
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of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
15. Lamb, S. H. 1971. Woody plants of New Mexico and their value to
wildlife. Bull. 14. Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Department of Game and
Fish. 80 p. [9818]
16. Loftin, Samuel Robert. 1987. Postfire dynamics of a Sonoran Desert
ecosystem. Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University. 97 p. Thesis. [12296]
17. Lonard, Robert I.; Judd, Frank W. 1993. Phytogeography of the woody
flora of the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Texas Journal of Science.
45(2): 133-147. [22040]
18. Munz, Philip A. 1974. A flora of southern California. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. 1086 p. [4924]
19. Powell, A. Michael. 1988. Trees & shrubs of Trans-Pecos Texas including
Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. Big Bend National Park,
TX: Big Bend Natural History Association. 536 p. [6130]
20. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
21. Rogers, Garry F.; Steele, Jeff. 1980. Sonoran Desert fire ecology. In:
Stokes, Marvin A.; Dieterich, John H., technical coordinators.
Proceedings of the fire history workshop; 1980 October 20-24; Tucson,
AZ. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-81. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment
Station: 15-19. [16036]
22. Rudolf, Paul O. 1974. Lycium L. wolfberry. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., ed.
Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agriculture Handbook No.
450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service:
522-524. [7699]
23. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
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National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
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their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, DC: U.S.
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26. Vines, Robert A. 1960. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the Southwest.
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C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo,
UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
Index
Related categories for Species: Lycium torreyi
| Torrey Wolfberry
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