Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Solanales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lycium carolinianum
FAMILY
Solanaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lycium carolinianum var. carolinianum
FAMILY
Solanaceae
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Lycium carolinianum var. carolinianum
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 165-01-001:
Lycium carolinianum FAMILY Solanaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Lycium carolinianum
COMMON NAME:
Christmas-berry, Carolina Matrimony-vine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_lycium_carolinianum1
December Cameron County TX
Leaves succulent, oblanceolate, 1-5mm wide, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_lycium_carolinianum1b
December Cameron County TX
Corollas blue, lavender or nearly white, 4(5)-lobed, and rotate, per Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Northern Florida and Adjacent Georgia and Alabama (Godfrey, 1988).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lycium carolinianum
FAMILY
Solanaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lycium carolinianum var. carolinianum
FAMILY
Solanaceae
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Lycium carolinianum var. carolinianum
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Lycium carolinianum var. quadrifidum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 165-01-001:
Lycium carolinianum
FAMILY
Solanaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Lycium carolinianum
2640
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: shell middens, shell mounds, shelly sand dunes, brackish marshes, maritime sand spits, per Weakley's Flora
Native to Georgia & South Carolina
Rare in GA (historically in SC, but not recently seen)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Twigs spine-tipped
LEAVES:
Tardily deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Blue-violet
Radially symmetrical
4-5 merous
4-5 lobed calyx
4-5 lobed corolla
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers solitary in leaf axils
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p248
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p123
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p207
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p202
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".