Lycium berlandieri Dun.

Berlandier wolfberry
wolfberry
desert thorn

More info for the terms: fruit, shrub

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 Laboratory 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].

Berlandier wolfberry ranges from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico
[23,31,41].  Lycium berlandieri var. berlandieri is common in southern
Texas and is distributed from southern and western Texas to central
Mexico.  Lycium b. var. parviflorum is more common in the Trans-Pecos
than the typical variety and is distributed from Arizona to western
Texas and south to northern Mexico [31].  Lycium b. f. parviflorum
occurs in Arizona and Mexico, L. b. var. longistylum is from southern
Arizona, and L. b. var. brevilobum occurs in Texas and Mexico [41].

More info for the terms: density, fire severity, root crown, severity

Berlandier wolfberry sprouts from the root crown following fire [17,26],
but it may take many years to regain its former density on a burned site
[33].  Its sprouting ability is most likely dependent on fire severity.
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 [33].  Large clumps of woody species in southern Texas chaparral
communities do not burn completely.  Fire-caused mortality in clumps not
mechanically treated was greatest on the windward side.  Recurring fires
may have eliminated individual plants and small clumps but allowed
larger clumps to survive [7].

More info for the terms: cover, fire management, forest, frequency, fuel, fuel loading, herbaceous, prescribed fire, shrubs

Box and White [8] recommended fire for controlling woody species on
southern Texas savanna communities dominated by mesquite (Prosopis
glandulosa), huisache, and seacoast bluestem.  Fall and winter burning
effectively reduced brush canopy and frequency, although fall burning
was slightly more effective.  Fire was not particularly useful unless
sites had been mechanically pretreated to create a uniform fuel bed.
Best results are probably obtained by waiting a sufficiently long time
following mechanical treatment for crushed woody fuel to dry and a crop
of herbaceous species to mature among the woody debris.

Frequent fires in mesquite-hackberry-Berlandier wolfberry communities on
southern Texas plains may convert the vegetation to seacoast
bluestem-brownseed paspalum (Paspalum plicatulum)-balsamscale (Elionurus
tripsacoides) associations [28].

Fires are not prevalent in many desert communities due to wide spacing
between shrubs and sparse ground cover [9,21].  Unusually heavy winter
rains, however, may produce a cover of annual species dense enough to
carry a fire when cured [21].  Many perennial desert shrubs are poorly
adapted to fire [9].  Postfire recolonization by long-lived desert
shrubs is very slow initially and may take hundreds of years [9,33].
Rogers and Steele [33] suggested a conservative approach when using fire
to manage desert regions.

FIRE CASE STUDY
SPECIES: Lycium berlandieri
FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION :
Matthews, Robin F., compiler. 1994. Fire temperatures and the effect of burning on
Berlandier wolfberry on the Welder Wildlife Refuge, south Texas. In: Lycium
berlandieri. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences
Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [
var months = new Array(12);
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REFERENCE :
White, Richard S. 1969. Fire temperatures and the effect of burning on
south Texas brush communities. Lubbock, TX: Texas Technological College.
74 p. Thesis.  [44].

SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
March/variable


STUDY LOCATION :
The study plot was located in Section 40, lots 7 and 8 of the Welder
Wildlife Foundation Refuge which is approximately 20 miles north of
Corpus Christi, Texas.


PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
The regional vegetation of the area was described as Gulf prairies and
marshes.  Plant communities in the study area were dominated by mesquite
(Prosopis glandulosa), huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and seacoast
bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. littoralis).  Other woody species
present included Berlandier wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri), lotebush
(Zizyphus obtusifolia), blackbrush acacia (Acacia rigidula), twisted
acacia (A. tortuosa), agarito (Mahonia trifoliolata), Texas persimmon
(Diospyros texana), and hackberry (Celtis spp).


TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
Berlandier wolfberry possessed a full complement of leaves at the time
of burning and 2 weeks following burning.


SITE DESCRIPTION :
NO-ENTRY


FIRE DESCRIPTION :
A prescribed fire was applied to a 10 acre (4 hectare) plot.  One
portion was burned March 8, 1968; the rest was burned March 12,
1968.  The following conditions were recorded at the time of burning:

                                            Date Burned
Condition                            3/8/68             3/12/68
______________________________________________________________________
Time of burning                   3:00-3:30 pm      10:00 am-4:00 pm
Air temperature (deg F)                60                  55
Relative humidity (%)                  90                  45
Wind velocity (mph)                    10                20-30
Soil moisture (%)                      40                  37
Plant moisture (%)                      9                   7
Average height of flames (ft)           7                   8
    
In subunit 1, the fuel was evenly distributed and high in loading, and
the brush was generally open.  Subunit 2 had an uneven fuel
distribution, fuel loading was moderate, and brush was dense.  There was
a low amount of evenly distributed fuel in subunit 3, and brush cover
was open.
                  


FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
The canopy cover of all woody species, including Berlandier wolfberry,
was reduced by burning.  Overall mortality of Berlandier wolfberry was
8 percent.  Berlandier wolfberry had the following percent canopy cover
before and 3 months after the fire:

                                    Percent Canopy Cover
Subunit     Fuel load            Prefire           Postfire
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subunit 1 (3,686 lbs/acre)         trace              trace         
Subunit 2 (1,932 lbs/acre)         trace                1
Subunit 3 (1,970 lbs/acre)           1                trace

The extent of topkill and mortality of Berlandier wolfberry seemed to
increase with increasing fuel loads, but differences were not
statistically significant (p>.10).  Overall brush mortality was
significantly (p less than .01) higher in subunit 1, where fuel loadings were
highest.  In subunit 2, where brush cover was dense, the fire was severe
enough to damage brush at the edges of clumps and significantly (p less than .05)
reduce overall brush cover.  In subunit 3, with low fuel loads and open
cover, brush cover was not significantly (p>.10) reduced.


FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
Overall, fire was an effective method for topkilling woody species but
did not result in high mortality.  Low mortality may have been due to
high soil moisture and relatively low air temperatures.  Under these
conditions, fire would have to be applied several times over a period of
years to kill many woody species.  Maximum mortality may be obtained by
burning when woody plants are small and fuel quantities are high.

More info for the term: fuel

Overall, fire was an effective method for topkilling woody species but
did not result in high mortality.  Low mortality may have been due to
high soil moisture and relatively low air temperatures.  Under these
conditions, fire would have to be applied several times over a period of
years to kill many woody species.  Maximum mortality may be obtained by
burning when woody plants are small and fuel quantities are high.

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

  
   Phanerophyte

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].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

    68  Mesquite
   235  Cottonwood - willow
   241  Western live oak
   242  Mesquite

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES32  Texas savanna
   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES39  Prairie
   FRES40  Desert grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: cactus, shrub

   K027  Mesquite bosque
   K040  Saltbush - greasewood
   K041  Creosotebush
   K042  Creosotebush - bursage
   K043  Paloverde - cactus shrub
   K044  Creosotebush - tarbush
   K045  Ceniza shrub
   K053  Grama - galleta steppe
   K054  Grama - tobosa prairie
   K058  Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
   K059  Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
   K060  Mesquite savanna
   K061  Mesquite - acacia savanna
   K062  Mesquite - live oak savanna
   K065  Grama - buffalograss
   K076  Blackland prairie
   K077  Bluestem - sacahuista prairie

Severe fires may kill Berlandier wolfberry but low- to moderate-severity
fires probably only consume its aerial portions.  Many small Berlandier
wolfberry plants were "completely destroyed" by a fire in savanna
vegetation in southern Texas [7].

More info for the term: cover

Berlandier wolfberry fruits are important food for birds and some
rodents [39].  Livestock may browse Berlandier wolfberry foliage
[23,31]; however, it was available on southern Texas plains but was not
reported in cattle diets [11].  Black-tailed jackrabbit winter diets in
southern Texas consisted of 3 percent Berlandier wolfberry [40].

In southern Arizona Gambel's quail were closely tied to habitats
characterized by mesquite (Prosopis spp.), netleaf hackberry (Celtis
reticulata), falsemesquite, and Berlandier wolfberry along sandy washes
or around stock tanks.  There was an average of 60 Berlandier wolfberry
plants per 0.4 hectare plot in areas most used.  Gambel's quail used
Berlandier wolfberry for cover, roosting and feeding sites, and for
raising broods.  These habitats were also important for introduced
masked bobwhites when preferred habitat was limited.  There was an
average of 83 Berlandier wolfberry plants per 0.4 hectare plot in scaled
quail habitat found in adjacent grasslands dominated by low grasses,
broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), and Berlandier wolfberry.
Scaled quail used Berlandier wolfberry for hiding cover and preferred
plants 1.7 to 5.0 feet (0.5-1.5 m) tall for loafing cover [16].

Berlandier wolfberry occurs in many habitats but usually does not attain
dominance.  It is characteristic of Sonoran or Chihuahuan desert scrub
vegetation and is associated in those regions with ocotillo (Fouquieria
splendens), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), range ratany (Krameria
parvifolia), ironwood (Olneya tesota), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis),
false-mesquite (Calliandra eriophylla), brittle bush (Encelia farinosa),
leatherstem (Jatropha cardiophylla), feather dalea (Dalea formosa),
yucca (Yucca spp.), agave (Agave spp.), prickly pear and cholla (Opuntia
spp.), and catclaw (Acacia spp.) [3,10,30,35,37].  In the Chihuahuan
Desert, Berlandier wolfberry may also occur in alkali sacaton
(Sporobolus airoides) grasslands on deep calcareous alluvial deposits
near arroyos and in intermontane habitats along the margins of honey
mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) communities [20].

In southern Texas Berlandier wolfberry is associated with hackberry
(Celtis spp.), prickly pear, catclaw, bluewood (Condalia obovata), Texas
persimmon (Diospyros texana), lotebush (Zizyphus obtusifolia),
whitebrush (Aloysia lycioides), agrito (Mahonia trifoliolata), desert
yaupon (Schaefferia cuneifolia), curlymesquite (Hilaria belangeri),
tobosa (Hilaria mutica), grama (Bouteloua spp.), and dropseed
(Sporobolus spp.) [8,24,28].  Mesquite-hackberry (Celtis
spp.)-Berlandier wolfberry communities are most common on smaller
drainages within sandy areas where soil textures are sandy loams, and
along edges of saline waterways near the coast [28].

Berlandier wolfberry also occurs in openings in riparian or arroyo
margin woodlands dominated by Arizona sycamore (Platanus wrightii),
Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii), green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica), Goodding willow (Salix gooddingii), and saltcedar
(Tamarix chinensis) [29,30].

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

More info for the term: frequency

Berlandier wolfberry had a frequency of 0.4 percent on sites protected
from livestock grazing for 50 years at the Desert Laboratory near Tucson,
Arizona.  It was not present on unprotected sites, but the differences
were not significant [3].

Woody species such as Berlandier wolfberry often invade grasslands and
reduce the amount of valuable forage.  Fall aerial applications of
picloram, 2,4,5-T, or a mixture of the two were relatively ineffective
for control of Berlandier wolfberry in southern Texas [5].  However,
aerial applications of tebuthiuron were effective in killing all
Berlandier wolfberry plants within 1 year on a 130-acre (52-hectare)
study plot on the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico [14].

     AZ  NM  TX  MEXICO

Historically, Native Americans have eaten Berlandier wolfberry berries
and have used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes [23,31].

More info on this topic.

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].

More info for the terms: cool-season, cover, density, fire severity, frequency, fuel, prescribed fire, severity, shrub, tree, wildfire

Berlandier wolfberry frequency was significantly (p less than .01) reduced
following a fall prescribed fire at the Welder Wildlife Foundation
Refuge in southern Texas.  Prefire frequency was 15 percent while
frequency in postfire year 1 was 4 percent.  Postfire canopy cover was
83 percent less than prefire cover.  The area was dominated by mesquite
(Prosopis glandulosa), huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and seacoast
bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. littoralis) and had been
pretreated with shredding, chopping, or scalping 2 years earlier to
produce fuel sufficient for a uniform burn.  There was significantly
(p less than .05) less brush cover on pretreated than on untreated sites.
Berlandier wolfberry had the following percent canopy cover in postfire
year 1 under the different treatments [7]:

Treatment                    Burned             Unburned
__________________________________________________________
Control                       0.1                  0.5
Shredded                     Trace                 0.2
Chopped                      Trace                 0.1
Scalped                      Trace                 0.2
 
Brush canopy reduction, including that of Berlandier wolfberry, was
greatest at this site when treated plots were burned in the fall or
winter of 2 successive years, rather than once [8].

On the Rio Grande Plains of southern Texas, buffelgrass (Cenchrus
ciliaris) pastures have been invaded by woody species such as mesquite
(Prosopis spp.), blackbrush acacia (Acacia rigidula), twisted acacia (A.
tortuosa), Berlandier wolfberry, and others.  Two cool-season prescribed
fires were applied to a buffelgrass pasture, one in February 1977 and
one in February 1979, to control woody species invasion.  Both fires
reduced brush species to ground level.  However, the suppression of
growth was short-lived and canopy diameters (including that of
Berlandier wolfberry) had recovered to prefire levels by the end of the
first growing season following the initial fire.  Mortality was
insignificant even after the second fire.  The fires did allow a
cumulative increase in forage production of buffelgrass for up to three
postfire growing seasons [17,18].

The Research Project Summary Ibarra-F and others 1996 provides
information on mortality of Berlandier wolfberry after prescribed fires
in buffelgrass pastures in Sonora, Mexico.

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 availability
in the postfire environment.  Wolfberries had established their former
density and cover by 35 postfire months.  Wolfberry plants had similar
responses in both open shrub and tree microhabitats [26].

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 [33].

More info for the terms: root crown, secondary colonizer, shrub

   Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
   Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: layering, seed, stratification

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].
 

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    7  Lower Basin and Range
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains

March/variable

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More info for the terms: climax, grassland, mesic, succession, tree

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].

More info for the term: vines

The currently accepted scientific name of Berlandier wolfberry is Lycium
berlandieri Dunal. (Solanaceae) [23,31,41]. A typical variety and L. b.
var parviflorum (Gray) Terrac. are recognized by some authors [23,31].
Vines [41] also recognizes L. b. forma parviflorum (Gray) Hitchc., L. b.
var. longistylum Hitchc., and L. b. var. brevilobum Hitchc.

More info for the term: shrubs

Specific information regarding the use of Berlandier wolfberry for
rehabilitating disturbed sites is not available in the literature.
Wolfberries (Lycium spp.), however, have been used to rehabilitate
abandoned farmlands 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
[22].

Lycium berlandieri is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by the common name Berlandier's wolfberry. It is native to Mexico and the south-western United States from Arizona to Texas.

This shrub reaches up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. The roots may extend 9 metres (30 ft) from the plant. It has spiny branches. It loses its leaves and becomes dormant during dry times. The bell-shaped flowers are solitary or borne in pairs. The fruit is a juicy red berry. This plant's life span is 90 years on average.

This plant is characteristic of the flora of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. It is rarely dominant, but it occurs in many types of desert habitat, including mesquite and saltbush plant communities, creosote, grassland, prairie, and savanna. It can grow in desert salt flats and other saline habitats. It may invade grassland along with mesquite during the process of ecological succession. In the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts it grows alongside ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), range ratany (Krameria parvifolia), ironwood (Olneya tesota), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), false-mesquite (Calliandra eriophylla), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), leatherstem (Jatropha cardiophylla), feather dalea (Dalea formosa), yucca, agave, Opuntia cacti, and acacia species. In Texas it can be found in sandy arroyos and more saline areas alongside mesquite and hackberry.

Many birds and rodents consume the fruits of the shrub. Gambel's quail live in habitat where the shrub is common, and they use it for cover and nesting.

Native Americans consumed the fruits and used the plant medicinally.