Lycium ‘Firecracker’ Goji Berry

Lycium ‘Firecracker’ Goji Berry is a fruiting deciduous shrub that grows tall and wide and blooms in purple-white flowers in early summer, beginning the 2nd year. An early, heavy fruiter, the plant sets brilliant scarlet-red berries in fall, with maximum fruit production occuring in the 4th or 5th year. The berries are juicy and sweet when eaten fresh, but they can also be frozen or dried. When dried, the fruit looks like a red raisin. Considered a superfruit and used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are high in antioxidants, carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, iron, zinc, selenium, essential fatty acids and fiber and have a respectable amount of protein.

A Lycium barbarum, commonly called goji berry, wolfberry, matrimony vine, and box thorn, ‘Firecracker’ is a densely branched shrub with cane-like stems. It has a medium growth rate and a mounding, suckering habit. If allowed to naturalize, the plant forms thickets. Goji berry can be pruned into a tree-like, single trunk form.

Members of the Boxthorn family, goji berries are native to Southeast Europe and Asia and are related to the nightshade plants, potato, tomato, eggplant, tobacco and chili pepper. Goji berry grows best in sunny to dappled shade locations with rich, moist, well-draining soil but is adaptable to a wide range of soils. ‘Firecracker’ Goji Berry is disease, pest, deer, and rabbit resistant.

The shrub is self-pollinating and will bear fruit without any pollen from other varieties.

Ships as a 1-year bareroot plant