Lycium horridum flower

The long-tube corollas of Lycium horridum flowers may be white as seen here or some shade of mauve. The flowers grow solitary, becoming 2 cm long. Flowering may happen at any time during the year, but most prolific from midwinter to early spring.

The plant is not browsed much, but lush new growth as present here will be taken by especially goats. An Afrikaans common name for the plant is boksdoring (goat’s thorn). Unusual and variable leaf-shapes are captured in the photo taken in January after rain (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; iSpot; JSTOR).