KEY TO AFRICAN SPECIES OF LYCIUM 1. Flowers with stamens and style conspicuously exserted from the corolla mouth…2 1. Flowers with stamens and style included in or very slightly exserted from the corolla mouth… 12 2. Calyx shorter than ½ of the corolla tube…3 2. Calyx longer than ½ of the corolla tube…5 3. Corolla tube 10 mm or longer… L. bosciifolium 3. Corolla tube shorter than 10 mm… 4 4. Leaves large, 30-45 x 7-12 mm. Plants introduced from Europe and restricted to North Africa … L. barbarum 4. Leaves small and narrow, 7-17 x 1-2mm. Indigenous and restricted to southern Africa … L. grandicalyx 5. Calyx bladder-like, enclosing the corolla tube. Restricted to the black limestone ridges of southern Namibia…L. grandicalyx 5. Calyx tubular or campanulate and fitting tightly around the corolla tube… 6 6. Flowers large, corolla tube broadly funnel-shaped to campanulate, longer than 10 mm and corolla mouth wider than 6 mm… L. amoenum 6. Flowers small, corolla tube narrowly funnel-shaped or tubular, shorter than 10 mm and corolla mouth narrower than 5 mm… 7 7. Calyx lobes about as long as the calyx tube, oblong with acute apices to narrowly triangular… 8 7. Calyx lobes shorter than the calyx tube, triangular…9 8. Leaves and young stems pilose with long stalked glandular trichomes. Berries yellow… L. pilifolium 8. Leaves and young stems appear glabrous. Berries red… L. schizocalyx 9. Corolla tube up to 5 mm long. Stamens inserted in corolla mouth, pilose filament bases visible in corolla mouth. Leaves glaucous. Stems prominently zig-zag, bark dark purplish brown and shining… L. pumilum 9. Corolla tube longer than 5 mm. Stamens inserted at or below the middle of the corolla tube. Leaves bright to pale green. Stems straight. Bark not dark purplish brown…10 10. Plants up to 0.2 m high, branches decumbent. Nectary golden brown. Restricted to the arid coastal belt of the northern Namibia and southern Angola… L. decumbens 10. Plants 1-3 m high, erect branches. Nectary red. Plants indigenous to southern South Africa…11 11. Leaves large, obovate to elliptic, 12-35 x 4-10 mm, bright green and shiny. Calyx at least 2/3 the length of the corolla tube… L. ferocissimum 11. Leaves narrowly obovate, 8-16 x 1-3 mm, pale green. Calyx not more than ½ the length of the corolla tube…L. tenue 12. Leaves, young stems and calyces conspicuously hirsute…13 12. Leaves, stems and calyces apparently glabrous…14 13. Corolla 14-28 mm long, flowers bisexual… L. hirsutum 13. Corolla 8-12 mm in length, flowers unisexual… L. villosum 14. Corolla tube 10 mm or longer. Nectaries creamy to pale yellowish green, if golden yellow, then corolla dark purple…. 15 14. Corolla tube shorter than 10 mm. nectarines red or golden yellow… 21 15. Corolla tubular. Calyx campanulate, 4 mm or longer. Leaves 3 mm wide or narrower. Plants restricted to south-western region of South Africa…16 15. Corolla funnel-shaped. Calyx tubular, or if campanulate then shorter than 4 mm. Leaves broader than 3 mm… 17 16. Leaves linear to narrowly obovate, longer than 14 mm, narrower than 2 mm, glaucous. Flowers bisexual, corolla wine red or maroon. Berries black… L. afrum 16. Leaves ovate to obovate, shorter than 14 mm, 2-3 mm broad, bright green. Flowers unisexual, corolla deep purple. Berries red… L. strandveldense 17. Calyx 1-1.5mm long. Corolla lobes very small, hemi-orbicular and less than 0.8 mm long. Berries black… L. schweinfurthii 17. Calyx longer than 2 mm long. Corolla lobes hemi-orbicular to ovate to oblong, 1.5-4 mm long. Berries red…18 18. Corolla tube 20 mm or longer… L. oxycarpum 18. Corolla tube shorter than 20 mm…19 19. Leaves coriacious, dull green, apices cuspidate. Ratio length:width = 2:1-3:1. Stamens inserted on lower third of corolla tube… L. eenii 19. Leaves herbaceous to succulent, bright green, rarely glaucous, apices acute to rounded. Ratio length:width = 5:1-8:1. Stamens inserted at middle or in upper half of corolla tube… 20 20. Calyx campanulate to broadly tubular. Corolla tube funnel-shaped and corolla lobes semi-orbicular, 1.5-2 x 1.5-2 mm. Corolla tube tinged greenish purple on outside with dark purple lobes… L. europaeum 20. Calyx distinctly and narrowly tubular. Corolla tubular and corolla loves ovate to oblong, 3-4 x 2-3 mm. Corolla creamy white, lobes sometimes pale lilac with purple venation… L. shawii 21. Leaves with ratio length:width about 3:1. Flowers bisexual…22 21. Leaves with ratio length:width 4:1-10:1. Flowers unisexual…23 22. Leaves herbaceous, flat, elliptic to narrowly obovate. Scandent or erect shrub. Occurs on coastal flats and in interior of KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei… L. acutifolium 22. Leaves succulent and cylindrical, obovate. Shrub spreading carpet- or curtain-like over rock faces and dunes along beach of northern Kwa-Zulu-Natal and southern Mozambique… L. mascarenense 23. A shrub, young branches pendulous and with a few short thorns or thornless. Leaves glaucous, lanceolate, linear or narrowly obovate, ratio length:width about 10:1… L. arenicola 23. Shrubs with rigidly erect branches, young branches conspicuously thorny. Leaves obovate, green to pale green, ratio length:width = 4:1-8-1… 24 24. Thorns needle thin, branched even in young parts. Stems slender, densely branched and entangled, giving the plants an untidy appearance. Restricted to the arid regions of southern parts of Namibia… L. gariepense 24. Thorns stout, unbranched in younger parts. Thorns lengthening gradually from apex downwards, giving terminal branches a deltoid appearance…25 25. Flowers creamy white, sometimes with pale lilac lobes or purple veins. Corolla tube usually shorter than 6 mm. Leaves succulent and cylindrical, clustered on prominent brachyblasts. Restricted to the coastal belt of southern and western South Africa and Namibia… L. tetrandrum 25. Flowers white with dark purple patch at base of lilac corolla lobes. Corolla tube usually longer than 6 mm. Leaves succulent but flattened. Leaves clustered on inconspicuously brachyblasts. Widespread in the interior of South Africa and Namibia… L. horridum

KEY TO AFRICAN SPECIES OF LYCIUM

1. Flowers with stamens and style conspicuously exserted from the corolla mouth…2

1. Flowers with stamens and style included in or very slightly exserted from the corolla mouth… 12

2. Calyx shorter than ½ of the corolla tube…3

2. Calyx longer than ½ of the corolla tube…5

3. Corolla tube 10 mm or longer… L. bosciifolium

3. Corolla tube shorter than 10 mm… 4

4. Leaves large, 30-45 x 7-12 mm. Plants introduced from Europe and restricted to North Africa … L. barbarum

4. Leaves small and narrow, 7-17 x 1-2mm. Indigenous and restricted to southern Africa … L. grandicalyx

5. Calyx bladder-like, enclosing the corolla tube. Restricted to the black limestone ridges of southern Namibia…L. grandicalyx

5. Calyx tubular or campanulate and fitting tightly around the corolla tube… 6

6. Flowers large, corolla tube broadly funnel-shaped to campanulate, longer than 10 mm and corolla mouth wider than 6 mm… L. amoenum

6. Flowers small, corolla tube narrowly funnel-shaped or tubular, shorter than 10 mm and corolla mouth narrower than 5 mm… 7

7. Calyx lobes about as long as the calyx tube, oblong with acute apices to narrowly triangular… 8

7. Calyx lobes shorter than the calyx tube, triangular…9

8. Leaves and young stems pilose with long stalked glandular trichomes. Berries yellow… L. pilifolium

8. Leaves and young stems appear glabrous. Berries red… L. schizocalyx

9. Corolla tube up to 5 mm long. Stamens inserted in corolla mouth, pilose filament bases visible in corolla mouth. Leaves glaucous. Stems prominently zig-zag, bark dark purplish brown and shining… L. pumilum

9. Corolla tube longer than 5 mm. Stamens inserted at or below the middle of the corolla tube. Leaves bright to pale green. Stems straight. Bark not dark purplish brown…10

10. Plants up to 0.2 m high, branches decumbent. Nectary golden brown. Restricted to the arid coastal belt of the northern Namibia and southern Angola… L. decumbens

10. Plants 1-3 m high, erect branches. Nectary red. Plants indigenous to southern South Africa…11

11. Leaves large, obovate to elliptic, 12-35 x 4-10 mm, bright green and shiny. Calyx at least 2/3 the length of the corolla tube… L. ferocissimum

11. Leaves narrowly obovate, 8-16 x 1-3 mm, pale green. Calyx not more than ½ the length of the corolla tube…L. tenue

12. Leaves, young stems and calyces conspicuously hirsute…13

12. Leaves, stems and calyces apparently glabrous…14

13. Corolla 14-28 mm long, flowers bisexual… L. hirsutum

13. Corolla 8-12 mm in length, flowers unisexual… L. villosum

14. Corolla tube 10 mm or longer. Nectaries creamy to pale yellowish green, if golden yellow, then corolla dark purple…. 15

14. Corolla tube shorter than 10 mm. nectarines red or golden yellow… 21

15. Corolla tubular. Calyx campanulate, 4 mm or longer. Leaves 3 mm wide or narrower. Plants restricted to south-western region of South Africa…16

15. Corolla funnel-shaped. Calyx tubular, or if campanulate then shorter than 4 mm. Leaves broader than 3 mm… 17

16. Leaves linear to narrowly obovate, longer than 14 mm, narrower than 2 mm, glaucous. Flowers bisexual, corolla wine red or maroon. Berries black… L. afrum

16. Leaves ovate to obovate, shorter than 14 mm, 2-3 mm broad, bright green. Flowers unisexual, corolla deep purple. Berries red… L. strandveldense

17. Calyx 1-1.5mm long. Corolla lobes very small, hemi-orbicular and less than 0.8 mm long. Berries black… L. schweinfurthii

17. Calyx longer than 2 mm long. Corolla lobes hemi-orbicular to ovate to oblong, 1.5-4 mm long. Berries red…18

18. Corolla tube 20 mm or longer… L. oxycarpum

18. Corolla tube shorter than 20 mm…19

19. Leaves coriacious, dull green, apices cuspidate. Ratio length:width = 2:1-3:1. Stamens inserted on lower third of corolla tube… L. eenii

19. Leaves herbaceous to succulent, bright green, rarely glaucous, apices acute to rounded. Ratio length:width = 5:1-8:1. Stamens inserted at middle or in upper half of corolla tube… 20

20. Calyx campanulate to broadly tubular. Corolla tube funnel-shaped and corolla lobes semi-orbicular, 1.5-2 x 1.5-2 mm. Corolla tube tinged greenish purple on outside with dark purple lobes… L. europaeum

20. Calyx distinctly and narrowly tubular. Corolla tubular and corolla loves ovate to oblong, 3-4 x 2-3 mm. Corolla creamy white, lobes sometimes pale lilac with purple venation… L. shawii

21. Leaves with ratio length:width about 3:1. Flowers bisexual…22

21. Leaves with ratio length:width 4:1-10:1. Flowers unisexual…23

22. Leaves herbaceous, flat, elliptic to narrowly obovate. Scandent or erect shrub. Occurs on coastal flats and in interior of KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei… L. acutifolium

22. Leaves succulent and cylindrical, obovate. Shrub spreading carpet- or curtain-like over rock faces and dunes along beach of northern Kwa-Zulu-Natal and southern Mozambique… L. mascarenense

23. A shrub, young branches pendulous and with a few short thorns or thornless. Leaves glaucous, lanceolate, linear or narrowly obovate, ratio length:width about 10:1… L. arenicola

23. Shrubs with rigidly erect branches, young branches conspicuously thorny. Leaves obovate, green to pale green, ratio length:width = 4:1-8-1… 24

24. Thorns needle thin, branched even in young parts. Stems slender, densely branched and entangled, giving the plants an untidy appearance. Restricted to the arid regions of southern parts of Namibia… L. gariepense

24. Thorns stout, unbranched in younger parts. Thorns lengthening gradually from apex downwards, giving terminal branches a deltoid appearance…25

25. Flowers creamy white, sometimes with pale lilac lobes or purple veins. Corolla tube usually shorter than 6 mm. Leaves succulent and cylindrical, clustered on prominent brachyblasts. Restricted to the coastal belt of southern and western South Africa and Namibia… L. tetrandrum

25. Flowers white with dark purple patch at base of lilac corolla lobes. Corolla tube usually longer than 6 mm. Leaves succulent but flattened. Leaves clustered on inconspicuously brachyblasts. Widespread in the interior of South Africa and Namibia… L. horridum