Lycium torreyi, Torrey wolfberry
Matthews, Robin F. 1994. Lycium torreyi, Torrey wolfberry. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/lyctor
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| LYCTOR | Torrey wolfberry | Lycium torreyi | Life Form: Plants/Shrub Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Lycium | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name of Torrey wolfberry is Lycium torreyi Gray. (Solanaceae) [9,12,18,19,26,27]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms.
Synonyms
None
Other Common Names
desert thorn, boxthorn
General Distribution
Torrey wolfberry is distributed from Utah and Nevada to southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. Its range also extends south into Mexico [9,12,18,19,26,27].
States
- United States: AZ, CA, NV, NM, TX, UT
- Mexico
Site Characteristics
Torrey wolfberry is found in washes and arroyos, along streams and rivers, and on flats [9,18,19,26]. It commonly grows in silty, sandy, or alluvial soils [19], and often occupies saline or alkaline sites [19,26]. Torrey wolfberry is generally found below 3,000 feet (900 m) elevation in Arizona and Texas [12,26], below 2,000 feet (600 m) elevation in California [9,18], and at elevations of 2,500 to 3,800 feet (760-1,160 m) in Utah [27].
Plant Communities
Torrey wolfberry is characteristic of mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)-fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) vegetation in the Chihuahuan Desert on deep, fine alluvium near shallow arroyos and on alluvial fans and bajadas. Other associated species include creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), tarbush (Flourensia cernua), prickly pear and cholla (Opuntia spp.), and agave (Agave scabra). Torrey wolfberry is also found in alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides) grasslands in deep, calcareous alluvial deposits near arroyos and in intermontane habitats along the margins of mesquite communities [8].
Botanical Description
Torrey wolfberry is a spiny to spineless shrub up to 10 feet (3 m) tall with many spreading branches. The axillary flowers are funnel-shaped and are borne in small fascicles. The fruit is a red, juicy berry with 8 to 30 seeds [9,18,26,27]. Torrey wolfberry sheds its leaves and becomes dormant during drought but quickly refoliates when conditions become more favorable [12]. Torrey wolfberry often forms dense thickets [19].
The roots of wolfberry species are tough and fibrous. Root systems are relatively extensive in comparison with the aerial portions, often extending 25 to 30 feet (7.5-9.0 m) from the plant [25].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Phanerophyte
Seasonal Development
Torrey wolfberry usually flowers from March or April to June [12,18,25,26]. Flowers may also be produced after fall rains [19]. Fruits are available from June to September [25,26].
Regeneration Processes
Although no specific information is available on Torrey wolfberry reproduction, it probably regenerates from cuttings, root suckering, and layering, as do other wolfberry species. Like other wolfberries, Torrey wolfberry may sprout from the base when damaged [26].
Torrey wolfberry seeds are probably dispersed by birds and other animals, as are seeds of other wolfberries [17].
Good seed crops are produced by wolfberry species almost every year. After extraction, seeds should be dried and stored in sealed containers at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 deg C), or stratified in moist sand. Stratified seeds of some wolfberry species maintain good viability for 6 months. Dormancy in wolfberry seeds is variable. Some wolfberry seeds germinate well without pretreatment, while germination of others is improved by stratification. Seeds can be sown in the fall as soon as the fruits ripen or stratified seed can be sown in the spring and covered lightly with about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) of soil. Two-year-old seedlings may be outplanted [22].
Successional Status
No entry.
Immediate Fire Effects
Severe fires may kill Torrey wolfberry, but low- to moderate-severity fires probably only consume its aerial portions.
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
- Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
Fire Adaptations
Many perennial desert shrubs are not well adapted to fire [4], but some may exhibit fire adaptive traits [16]. Generally, these traits are only weakly developed [21].
Because most wolfberries sprout from the root crown after damage, and Torrey wolfberry probably sprouts after fire [16,26]. However, it may take many years for desert shrubs to regain their former densities on burned sites [21]. The sprouting ability of pale wolfberry is most likely dependent on fire severity. Dense clumps of brush containing Torrey wolfberry may be somewhat impervious to fire, as are clumps containing Berlandier wolfberry (L. berlandieri) [2].
Wolfberry species seedling establishment was noted after a fire at a Sonoran Desert site. The seeds may have survived the fire in the soil or on burned plants, or may have been dispersed from adjacent unburned areas [21].
Plant Response to Fire
Specific information on the response of Torrey wolfberry to fire is not available in the literature. In general, wolfberry species sprouted rapidly after controlled June fires in Sonoran Desert scrub vegetation near Phoenix, Arizona. The well developed wolfberry root systems escaped damage from the fire, allowing them to capitalize on increased water and nitrogen availability in the postfire environment. Wolfberries had established their former density and cover by 35 months after the fire. Wolfberry plants had similar responses in both open shrub and tree microhabitats [16].
Wolfberry species sprouted and seedlings established within 3 years following a June wildfire in a Sonoran Desert scrub community near Phoenix, Arizona. No information was given on fire severity or intensity [21].
Berlandier wolfberry was reduced by prescribed fires in southern Texas [2,3,7], but the effects were short-lived and canopy diameter had recovered to prefire levels by the end of the first growing season following the fire [7].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name on the Advanced Search page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
Fires are not prevalent in many desert communities due to wide spacing between shrubs and sparse ground cover [4,10]. Unusually heavy winter rains, however, may produce a cover of annual species dense enough to carry a fire when cured [10]. Many perennial desert shrubs are poorly adapted to fire [4]. Wolfberries in particular may be susceptible to repeated burning [16]. Postfire colonization by desert shrubs is very slow initially and may take hundreds of years [4,21]. Rogers and Steele [21] suggested a conservative approach when using fire to manage desert regions.
Federal Status
None
Other Status
No entry.
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Specific information regarding the use of Torrey wolfberry by livestock or wildlife is not available in the literature. Wolfberry (Lycium spp.) foliage is sometimes browsed by livestock [12,19]. Torrey wolfberry fruits are probably consumed by birds and rodents, as are those of other wolfberry species [13,15].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
No entry.
Cover Value
Dense thickets of Torrey wolfberry presumably provide cover for birds and small mammals.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
Specific information regarding the use of Torrey wolfberry for rehabilitating disturbed sites is not available in the literature. Wolfberry species, however, have been used to rehabilitate abandoned farmland in Sonoran Desert lowlands and on disturbed sites near Red Rock, Arizona. The sites were restored by establishing berms on the contour and then seeding with wolfberry and other desert shrubs [11].
Other Uses
Historically, Native Americans have eaten wolfberry berries and have used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes [12,19,26].
Other Management Considerations
No entry.
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES29 Sagebrush
- FRES30 Desert shrub
- FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- 6 Upper Basin and Range
- 7 Lower Basin and Range
- 12 Colorado Plateau
- 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
- 14 Great Plains
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K027 Mesquite bosque
- K038 Great Basin sagebrush
- K039 Blackbrush
- K040 Saltbush - greasewood
- K041 Creosotebush
- K042 Creosotebush - bursage
- K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
- K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
- K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
- K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 68 Mesquite
- 242 Mesquite
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
No entry.
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