Desert wolfberry, mahogany desert-thorn

Lycium dispermum Wiggins; L. macrodon var. dispermum (Wiggins) F. Chiang

Shrubs erect, 1–3 m; bark dark brown to black; stems glabrate. Leaves: blade spatulate, 5–35 × 2–12 mm, glaucous, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent. Inflorescences 2-flowered fas­cicles or solitary flowers. Pedicels 1–7 mm. Flowers (4–)5-merous; calyx campanulate, 4–9 mm, sparsely glandular-puberulent, lobes linear, length 1.5–2 times tube; corolla white to greenish white to pale lilac on lobes, tubular, 6–12 mm, lobes 2–5 mm; stamens included or exserted. Berries yellowish to brown, ovoid, constricted proximal to middle, 6–10 mm, dry, hard. Seeds 2–4. 2n = 24.

Flowering Feb–Apr. Sandy washes and flats (Sonoran Desert); 200–800 m; Ariz.; Mexico (Sonora).