Lycium chinensis - Chinese Goji

Lycium chinensis, commonly known as Goji or Chinese Boxthorn, is a deciduous shrub with bushy, slightly spiny, arching stems. In early summer tiny pink-purple flowers appear, which turn into oval, red-orange, sweet and tangy berries in early autumn. They have been known for their nutritional properties for millennia and are exceptionally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Hardy and easy to grow, it naturally forms a large clump, but it is best trained against a wall, fence, or other support and regularly pruned to facilitate berry picking.

Lycium chinensis (or Lycium chinense) belongs to the Solanaceae family, an important botanical family that includes many ornamental genera, such as Daturas, Brunfelsia, and Cestrum, as well as important food species in our diet, such as tomatoes and potatoes, or more anecdotal ones, like Physalis, the decorative and edible cape gooseberry. This is also the case with the Goji, a name shared with a close species, the Lycium barbarum or Common Boxthorn, native to the Mediterranean Basin.

Lycium chinensis is native to Asia, mainly China. It forms a bushy shrub with long, arching, trailing stems, giving it a spreading habit. An adult plant will reach approximately 1.80m (6ft) in height and 1.50m (5ft) in width. Being slightly spiny, it is wise to cultivate it against a wall, fence, or other support and prune it to limit its growth and facilitate berry picking. Its aesthetics are not particularly attractive, as it tends to thin out at the base and is quite frequently affected by powdery mildew, which gives its leaves a greyish-white downy appearance (without significantly affecting fruit production). The foliage is deciduous (absent in winter), bright green in young leaves, evolving to a greyish-green colour in mature leaves. The latter, of modest size, are elliptical and elongated, wider towards the base, and measure approximately 3-4cm (1-2in) in length by 1-2cm (0-1in) in width. Flowering occurs from June to July, sometimes in August, with small, tubular, campanulate, star-shaped, hermaphroditic flowers measuring 10mm (0in) in diameter, ranging from dark pink to purple. Self-fertile, the Chinese Boxthorn bears fruit after approximately 3 years of planting. The flowering is followed by the formation of ovoid berries, initially green and then ripening to orange, measuring about 18mm (1in) in length. These berries are edible when ripe, from September to October or November: it is preferable to consume dried berries, picked when fully ripe, when the solanine content has decreased in the pulp.

This small fruit is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, low in lipids. It is very rich in calcium, potassium, iron, selenium, vitamin E, vitamins B2, beta-carotene (which gives it its orange colour), and vitamin C (which enhances iron absorption by our body). The pulp of the Boxthorn has been the subject of numerous studies in recent years, which tend to prove its antioxidant properties.

Hardy, the Boxthorn can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F). It can be integrated into ornamental gardens, trained against a trellis for example. It can also be part of a country hedge, along with redcurrants and flowering shrubs, or trained with garden blackberries. As it is quite resistant to drought and very hardy, it can be planted in most regions, and will adapt to the climate. It will simply be more productive if the soil remains slightly moist. Combine it with Zanthoxylum piperitum, the Sichuan pepper tree, whose spicy berries can be used in cooking, or with Cornus mas Schönbrunner Gourmet Dirndl, a male Cornelian cherry with small sweet red fruits.