365 Urban Species. #276: Matrimony Vine.

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: edge of the Muddy River, between the Riverway and Brookline Ave, Boston/Brookline border.

Urban species #276: Matrimony vine Lycium barbarum

This plant is proving to be a compelling mystery. It isn't in our primary wildflower guide (Peterson's), but cottonmanifesto stumbled upon it in a website identifying plants in Montana. A check with the USDA shows that it's found across the country, not just in Montana. Not too surprising--a little more research reveals that matrimony vine is native to Eurasia, and also is known by the names wolfberry, boxthorn, Duke of Argyll's tea tree, and, when used in herbal medicine, goji. It appears that this woody vine or shrub (we discovered it as a small vine) has been used in Asia for medicinal purposes for centuries, and has relatively recently found some fans in the West. The common name "matrimony vine," though I found no explicit explanation, probably has something to do with the plant's use as an impotence treatment. The fruit can be edible if cooked, but like its relatives the nightshades (and other medicinal plants) also contains toxins. The plant has attractive flowers, and one suspects that it is planted more often as an ornamental than as part of home apothecaries.