Plant · P-455

Goji Berry

Lycium barbarum

Goji berry is a deciduous, thorny nightshade shrub that suckers into a dense thicket three to eight feet tall. The orange-red berries are the main crop, eaten fresh or dried with a mild, sweet, liquorice-like flavor, and only fully ripe fruit should be eaten - the plant is a relative of tomato and potato, and the same caution about unripe fruit and green parts applies here. It wants full sun and sharp drainage, tolerates real drought once established, and is killed faster by wet roots than by winter cold. Left to run as a hedge or fence line, it also works as a windbreak, feeds and shelters birds, and stabilizes sandy banks with its spreading root system.