Wolfberry
✓ Edible
✓ Medicinal
Lycium exsertum (Arizona Desert-thorn — primary species near Apache Lake); also Lycium fremontii (Fremont Wolfberry), Lycium berlandieri (Berlandier Wolfberry), Lycium andersonii (Anderson Wolfberry)
Plant Family: Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)
Other Names
Desert-thorn, Tomatillo, Boxthorn, Arizona Wolfberry, Frutilla — Spanish: Frutilla, Barchata, Tomatillo — O'odham: Kokaw
✓ None
⚠ High
⚠ Moderate
⚠ Low
Berries (fresh, dried, juiced, cooked), Leaves (limited — cooked), Flowers (edible)
Edible Parts
How to Identify
Wolfberries are easily identified by their scraggly appearance, spatulate leaves — widest near the end like a spatula — and red or orange berries with tomato-like seeds.
Size & Form: A multi-stemmed, densely branched, often sprawling shrub with an irregular scraggly form ranging from 3 to 8 feet tall depending on species. Branches are armed with short rigid thorns. Older plants form dense impenetrable thickets — important nesting and escape cover for desert wildlife.
Leaves: Small — typically less than an inch long — succulent to semi-succulent, fleshy, and pale green to gray-green. The spatulate shape — widest near the tip like a spatula — is the key leaf identification feature. During drought the leaves drop off and plants go dormant, quickly releafing after rainfall returns.
Flowers: Small tubular flowers — about half an inch long — in lavender, cream, or white depending on species, blooming from leaf axils. Attractive to hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and white-lined sphinx moths. Bloom periods vary by species from February through October.
Berries: Round to oval, bright red to orange-red when ripe, typically a quarter to half an inch in diameter. Each berry contains several small flat tomato-like seeds surrounded by juicy pulp. The berries may temporarily blacken your teeth — a harmless effect of the tannins in the fruit and worth knowing before a social occasion.
The Arizona Species: Five of the nine Arizona species most commonly encountered:
Lycium andersonii: 4–6 ft, narrow leaves on tan stems, lower desert
Lycium berlandieri: 4–8 ft, spatulate leaves on reddish-purple stems, Texas to Arizona
Lycium californicum: to 6 ft x 10 ft, globular succulent leaves on tan stems, southern Arizona
Lycium exsertum: to 8 ft x 8 ft, spatulate leaves on tan stems, southern Arizona and northwest Mexico
Lycium fremontii: to 6 ft, spatulate leaves on tan stems, desert areas Arizona and California
Family Caution: Wolfberry is in the Nightshade family — the same family as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, but also belladonna and jimsonweed. The ripe red berries with tomato-like seeds and spatulate leaves are the identifying combination. Never eat green unripe berries.
Where and When to Gather
Desert
Habitat: Found on flats, along washes and arroyos, on dry gravelly to sandy hills and bajadas, and on rocky slopes. Extremely drought tolerant — one of the most common shrubs in the Sonoran Desert. Look for it along desert washes, canyon edges, roadsides, and rocky hillsides.
Elevation: 1,000 to 4,600 feet. Most abundant in the lower Sonoran Desert below 3,000 feet. Apache Lake at approximately 1,700 feet is prime wolfberry elevation.
Range in Arizona: Nine native species cover most of Arizona's lower desert counties — Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Yavapai, and Cochise. Common along the Salt River Canyon, Apache Lake corridor, and throughout the Tonto National Forest desert zones.
When to Gather:Wolfberries have two seasons — some species ripen around April, and others flower in response to monsoon rains and fruit around August.
Spring fruit: March through May — primary spring harvest. Lycium exsertum and Lycium andersonii fruit in this window.
Monsoon / Fall fruit: August through October — second harvest triggered by monsoon rains.
Lycium fremontii: fruits year round — large berries, found below 2,500 feet.
Elevation Range: Below 5,000 feet
Seasons
Spring
Wet Summer
Fall
✓ Seen / Harvested
Harvested wolfberries near Apache Lake in May 2024 — right at the peak of the spring fruiting window at approximately 1,700 feet elevation in the Tonto National Forest. Apache Lake sits along the Salt River Canyon — classic wolfberry country with dry rocky slopes, washes, and desert scrub habitat these plants favor. May timing near Apache Lake falls perfectly in the spring fruiting season for Lycium exsertum and related species at that elevation.
How to Gather
Berries:
Harvest ripe berries — deep red to orange-red, soft and juicy to the touch
Pick by hand directly from the branch — wear long sleeves, branches are thorny
Strip ripe clusters gently into a container held beneath the branch
Sample one berry from each plant before harvesting in quantity — flavor varies considerably from plant to plant and species to species
Use fresh immediately or dry for storage
Leave adequate fruit for wildlife — birds, coyotes, javelinas, deer, and small mammals all depend heavily on wolfberry fruit
Drying:
Spread fresh berries in a single layer on a drying screen in full sun
Optional: blanch briefly in boiling water for 30 seconds before drying — concentrates sugar content
Sun dry 3–5 days until shriveled and leathery — or use a dehydrator at 115°F
Store dried berries in a glass jar — keeps several months
HOW TO USE
Edible Uses
Wolfberry is Arizona's wild cousin of the Asian goji berry — sharing similar nutritional properties, flavor, and traditional food uses. Nine native species produce edible fruit across the state with two fruiting seasons.
Fresh Berries: Eat directly from the plant — mild, slightly sweet, faintly tart with a tomato-like quality. Flavor varies significantly between plants and species — Lycium fremontii berries can be among the largest and sweetest, though some plants produce bitter fruit. Always sample before harvesting in quantity.
Dried Berries: Sun drying concentrates sugars and intensifies flavor. Use like dried goji berries — add to trail mix, granola, oatmeal, baked goods, or rehydrate in water for cooking.
Beverage: Berries gathered, washed, boiled, ground, and mixed with water make a traditional juice or tea. Sweeten with honey or agave.
Sauce: Fresh or cooked mashed berries made into a sauce with water and flour — a traditional O'odham preparation used over meat and grain dishes.
Porridge: Berries washed, boiled, strained, mashed, and combined with wheat or corn to make a nutritious mush — documented Yuma preparation.
Goji Berry Substitute: Use dried wolfberries anywhere dried goji berries are called for — the flavor and nutritional profile are closely related.
Medicinal Uses
Historically, Native Americans used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes. The plant's leaves and stems can be used to make a tea said to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidant and Nutritional: Like its Asian goji berry relative, wolfberry is rich in antioxidants — zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, polysaccharides, and vitamins C and B2. These compounds support immune function, eye health, and general cellular protection.
Anti-inflammatory: Berry and leaf preparations used for general inflammation reduction in traditional practice. Leaf and stem tea documented for anti-inflammatory use.
Eye Health: Wolfberries contain zeaxanthin — a carotenoid with documented benefits for macular health and eye protection against oxidative damage.
Immune Support: Polysaccharides in wolfberry fruit have been studied for immune-modulating properties — similar research that has driven the global goji berry health food market applies to Arizona's native wolfberry species.
Nutritive Tonic: Among the O'odham and related peoples, wolfberry was primarily a food medicine — regular consumption as a nutritious seasonal fruit was itself the medicine. The line between food and medicine is intentionally blurred here.
Native American Uses
Among the tribes known to rely on the wolfberry are the Hiá ced O'odham and Tohono O'odham, Pima, Maricopa, Mohave, Quechan, and Cocopa peoples.
Tohono O'odham and Pima (O'odham): Berries eaten fresh, dried, and juiced. One of the important desert fruits of the O'odham food calendar — harvested in the spring dry season when few other fruits were available. Dried berries stored for later use.
Yuma (Quechan): Berries gathered, washed, boiled, ground, mixed with water and used as a beverage. Berries sun dried, stored, and eaten without preparation. Berries washed, boiled, strained, mashed, and wheat added to make mush. Multiple documented preparation methods — clearly a staple food plant.
Maricopa: Wolfberry fruit harvested and eaten fresh and dried. Part of the traditional desert fruit calendar shared with neighboring O'odham peoples.
Mohave and Cocopa: Fresh and dried berries as food. Important riparian and wash-edge food plant in the lower Colorado River corridor.
Wildlife Significance: Wolfberry is one of the most wildlife-valuable shrubs in the Sonoran Desert — critical food for birds, coyotes, javelinas, deer, and small mammals, and important nesting cover for quail, thrashers, and roadrunners. Harvesting lightly is both ethical and practical — healthy wolfberry stands support the entire desert food web.
How to Prepare | Recipes
Fresh Wolfberries — Trail Eating
Locate ripe berries — deep red to orange-red, soft to the touch
Sample one berry first — flavor varies significantly between plants
If sweet and pleasant, harvest a handful directly from the branch
Eat fresh on the trail — a natural energy snack rich in antioxidants
Note: berries may temporarily stain teeth dark — harmless
Dried Wolfberries
Gather ripe red berries in spring or after monsoon season
Rinse thoroughly
Optional: blanch in boiling water 30 seconds then drain — concentrates sugar when dried
Spread in a single layer on a drying screen
Sun dry 3–5 days until shriveled and leathery — or dehydrate at 115°F
Store in a glass jar — keeps several months
Use like dried goji berries in trail mix, granola, oatmeal, baked goods
Traditional Wolfberry Beverage
Gather a generous handful of fresh or dried berries
Rinse thoroughly
Combine with 2 cups water in a small saucepan
Bring to a gentle boil — simmer 10 minutes
Mash berries with a spoon — continue simmering 5 minutes
Strain through fine mesh, pressing berries to extract all juice
Sweeten with honey or agave to taste
Drink warm or chill and serve over ice
Wolfberry Berry Sauce
Combine 1 cup fresh or rehydrated dried wolfberries with ½ cup water in a saucepan
Bring to a gentle boil — simmer 15 minutes until berries soften completely
Mash or blend until smooth — strain to remove seeds if desired
Add honey, lime juice, and a pinch of chili powder to taste
Serve over grilled meat, venison, quail, or duck — the tart berry and chili combination is excellent
Or use as a sweet sauce over oatmeal or yogurt
Wolfberry Trail Mix — All Arizona
Combine dried wolfberries with roasted mesquite meal, dried prickly pear fruit, pine nuts, and sunflower seeds
Mix well and store in a zip-lock bag
An all-Arizona native trail mix — entirely sourced from the desert
Cautions
Wolfberry is in the Nightshade family — confirm identification before eating. The ripe red berries with tomato-like seeds combined with spatulate leaves are the identifying combination.
Never eat green or unripe berries — ripeness is essential. Ripe berries are deep red to orange-red and soft.
Berries may temporarily blacken teeth — harmless tannin staining but worth knowing.
Flavor varies considerably between plants and species — always sample before harvesting in quantity. Some plants produce bitter or unpleasant fruit.
Thorny branches — wear long sleeves during harvest.
Do not harvest from areas treated with herbicides or near agricultural fields with pesticide use.
No confirmed toxic look-alikes among Arizona Lycium species — all nine native Arizona wolfberry species produce edible fruit when ripe.