About Lycium brevipes Benth.
Lycium brevipes Benth. is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, commonly called Baja desert-thorn. It is native to northwestern Mexico, and occurs in California as far as the Sonoran Desert, as well as on some of the Channel Islands. It grows in scrub habitats of deserts and coastlines, and is used as a landscaping plant in the southwestern United States. This bushy, spreading shrub reaches a maximum height near 4 metres (13 ft), and produces many long, thorny, tangled branches. The branches are covered with small, fleshy green leaves that grow up to 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) long, and are coated with glandular hairs. Its inflorescence is a small cluster of tubular flowers, which are roughly 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) long including the calyx of sepals at the base. The corolla is funnel-shaped, and ranges in color from lavender to nearly white, with 2 to 6 lobes at the opening. Five stamens and one style protrude out from the flower. The fruit is a bright red spherical berry about one centimeter wide, which contains many seeds. These berries attract birds.
