Carried by 5 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Lycium brevipes is a species of flowering plant in the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family known by the common name Baja Desert-thorn. It is native to northwestern Mexico and it occurs in California as far as the Sonoran Desert as well as near the coast and on some of the Channel Islands. It grows in the scrub of desert and coastline. It is also used as a southwestern landscaping plant. This is a bushy, spreading shrub approaching a maximum height of 4 meters but usually less, with many long, thorny, tangled branches. The branches are lined with small, fleshy green leaves up to 1.5 centimeters long and coated with minute hairs. The small cluster consists of tubular flowers roughly 1 to 2 centimeters long including the calyx of sepals at the base. The lavender to nearly white corolla is tiny, funnel-shaped and has 2 to 6 lobes at the mouth. The five stamens and one style protrude from the flower. The fruit is a bright red spherical berry about a centimeter wide containing many seeds. The berries attract birds.
Shrub
3 - 13 ft Tall
3 - 12 ft Wide
Mounding
Moderate
Summer Semi-deciduous
None
Lavender
Winter, Spring
Bank stabilization, Hedge
Full Sun
Low, Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Tolerates cold to 25° F
Fast
Typically sandy and rocky.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
Because of its tendency to form a tangled thicket, it may be pruned in summer dormancy to improve its shape.
For propagating by seed: No treatment; 2-4 mos. stratification may improve germination.
7, 8*, 9*, 12, 13, 14*, 15, 16, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Desert or arid coastal bluffs, slopes and washes
Alkali Sink, Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub
In coastal or non-desert gardens use with Shaw's Agave (Agave shawii), Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya pulverulenta), Fingertips (Dudleya edulis), Giant Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya brittonii - a Baja species), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Cliff Spurge (Euphorbia misera), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Chaparral Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei), Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera), Coast Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus viridescens), Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.), Coast Cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera), Fish Hook Cactus (Mammillaria dioica).
In desert gardens use with Desert Agave (Agave deserti), Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla), Desert Lavender (Condea emoryi), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa or actonii), Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Chuparosa (Justicia californica), Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris), Palo Verde (Parkinsonia spp.), Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), and Mojave Yucca (Yucca shidigera)
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 3 likely