Pale wolfberry, Tomatillo
| Botanical Name | Lycium pallidum |
| Common Name | Pale wolfberry, Tomatillo |
| Family | Solanaceae-Nightshade |
| Description | This thorny, twisty, native shrub has slender, sharp spines. Pale green leaves are usually in clusters. The orange-red berries resemble miniature tomatoes. |
| Mature Size | Usually about 3’. |
| Bloom | In May, pale yellow-green or greenish-white, funnel-shaped, waxy flowers appear in pairs or solitarily. The stamens are slightly longer than the corolla. |
| Interesting Facts | This shrub sometimes indicates ancient campsites. Where Pale wolfberries are aligned in rows, buried rock walls of Anasazi sites have been found below the surface according to the authors of Wild Plants of the Pueblo Provinces. |
| Traditional and Medicinal Uses | Livestock, birds and other animals make use of this shrub for food and cover. Indians ate the berries fresh or cooked into a sauce or syrup. The berries have a bitter astringent quality. The Indians mixed them with clay to get rid of the bitter taste. The Navajo Indians gave the berries sacred significance. The fresh or dried and reconstituted leaves were applied to cuts and regarded as an excellent medicine. Navajos have used the heated ground-up root for toothaches. |
 |
 Photo by Carl Troy for SFBG |
 |
Photos by Janice Tucker for SFBG
|
