Derived from the name Lycium combined with anthe — flower.
Shrubs or vines. Leaves simple, entire. Flowers solitary or in axillary fascicles. Calyx truncate and with 10 ribs, each with a minute tooth. Corolla wheel-shaped, 5-lobed. Stamens 5, joined to the petals. Ovary of 2 chambers, containing numerous ovules. Fruit a berry.
Grown for the dense foliage and strongly coloured flowers.
This genus is frequently treated as a section of Solanum but is probably more closely related to Capsicum.
Semi-hardwood cuttings or seed.
Very similar to Solanum but has a truncate calyx with 10 ribs and minute teeth.
About 200 species from E Asia and tropical America.
Source: (2002). Solanaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
