Honey bees
Nectar value
Medium
Pollen value
Medium
Pollinator plant
Goji, Box Thorn, Matrimony vine
Lycium barbarum
Linked agroforestry plant data
Pollinator recipe
Bee value
Who this plant supports
Agroforestry database
Complete plant information
Structure
- Vegetation layer
- Shrub
- Size
- Small
- Dimensions
- 2.50 m high × 4.00 m wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Deciduous
Site conditions
- USDA hardiness
- 6-9
- Moisture
- Moist
- Soil
- Sandy, Loamy, Clay
- pH
- Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
- Light
- Partial shade, Sun
Uses
- Edible parts
- Fruit, Leaves, Tea
- Functions
- Hedge
- Edibility
- 4 out of 5
- Medicinal value
- 3 out of 5
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is a berry of about 2 cm in diameter with a mild sweet licorice flavor. Only fully ripe fruits should be eaten. Young shoots can be cooked and are mainly used as a flavoring. They can also be lightly boiled for 3-4 minutes and used as a vegetable. The taste is somewhat cherry-like, but some also find it mint-like. The leaves should be used quickly after harvesting and may require caution. The leaves can be used as a tea substitute. Please refer to the notes at the top of the page for more information.