Desert wolfberry shrub confirmed growing on Tucson hiking trail
iNaturalist: desertfairy
Native Plants
If you're hiking desert trails in the Southwest, this spiny native shrub produces small edible berries that birds and wildlife rely on through dry seasons.
Someone out hiking the N Glory Trail near Tucson spotted a Berlandier's wolfberry, a thorny native shrub with small red-orange berries, and logged it on iNaturalist. Other naturalists reviewed the photos and confirmed the identification, so it now counts as a verified, research-grade record. It's a small but useful data point for mapping where this tough desert plant actually grows.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning the identification was community-verified.
Location documented as N Glory Trail in Tucson, Arizona, US.
Species identified as Lycium berlandieri (Berlandier's wolfberry), a spiny shrub native to arid Southwest habitats.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a sighting of Berlandier's wolfberry, a spiny desert shrub, growing along a trail in Tucson, Arizona. The observation was verified to research grade, adding a solid data point for where this native plant grows in the Sonoran Desert region.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Berlandier's wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri) observed in N Glory Trail, Tucson, AZ, US
Research-grade observation of Berlandier's wolfberry in N Glory Trail, Tucson, AZ, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Lycium berlandieri is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by the common name Berlandier's wolfberry. It is native to Mexico and the south-western United States from Arizona to Texas.