​Pale Wolfberry, Pale Desert-thorn, Wolfberry, Rabbit-thorn, Frutilla,Lycium pallidum,Nightshade Family (Solanaceae)

Found in sandy, rocky soil
Seen blooming in May on CR 142

When in bloom the Pale Wolfberry is an attractive shrub growing to 6 feet tall with many branches. Leaves are pale gray-green and smooth edged, and have slender thorns at the base. Flowers are funnel-shaped, greenish-white with purple veins and are over 1 inch long. The fruit is orange-red like a small tomato and can be reddish-blue. The fruit can be eaten raw if perfectly ripe, or cooked or dried for later use. The fruit keeps well when dried and ground into a meal. The ground up root has been placed in a tooth cavity to bring relief from toothache. The bark and the dried berries have been used as a 'life medicine'. The fruit of many members of this genus is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially in vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bio-active compounds. It is also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is fairly unusual for a fruit. It is being investigated as a food that is capable of halting or reversing the growth of cancers. Source.

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