Common name: Australian Boxthorn
Lycium australe F.Muell. APNI* 
Description: Intricately branched shrub to 2.5 m high with rigid branches; lateral branches leafy, often ending in a spine.
Leaves usually clustered, oblanceolate to ellipsoid, 3–25 mm long but mostly < 5 mm long and 1.5–3 mm wide; lamina thick and fleshy, glabrous, greyish green.
Pedicels mostly 2–5 mm long. Calyx 1.5–5 mm long; not deeply split in fruit. Corolla 8–12 mm long, creamy white, lilac towards limb; limb spreading. Stamens 4 or 5, included or scarcely exserted.
Berry ovoid to ellipsoid, 2–5 mm diam., dull orange-red; seeds 5–20.
Flowering: throughout year, but mainly spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in semi-arid regions, on edges of salt lakes and claypans; south from Milparinka area.
NSW subdivisions: SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Vic. W.A. S.A.
Text by B. J. Conn
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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