General Informations
Lycium barbarum is a tree native from southeastern Europe and Asia. It is one of two species of boxthorn in the family Solanaceae from which the goji berry or wolfberry is harvested, the other being Lycium chinense.
Common names of the plant in English include Chinese wolfberry, Chinese boxthorn, Himalayan goji, Tibetan goji, barbary matrimony vine, red medlar or matrimony vine. In the United Kingdom it is also known as Duke of Argyll’s tea tree or Duke of Argyll’s tea plant, after Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll who introduced it in the country in the 1730s.
The tree is an important commercial crop in northern China, especially in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is also grown in Tibet, Mongolia, and more recently in many other countries of the world.