Goji, goji berry or wolfberry (pinyin: gÇ’uqÇ) is the fruit of either the Lycium barbarum or Lycium chinense, two closely related species of boxthorn in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The family also includes the potato, tomato, eggplant, belladonna, chili pepper, and tobacco. The two species are native to Asia.
Wolfberry species are deciduous woody perennial plants, growing 1–3 m high. L. chinense is grown in the south of China and tends to be somewhat shorter, while L. barbarum is grown in the north, primarily in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and tends to be somewhat taller.
Wolfberry leaves form on the shoot either in an alternating arrangement or in bundles of up to three, each having either a lanceolate (shaped like a spearhead longer than it is wide) or ovate (egg-like) shape. Leaf dimensions are 7.0Â cm long by 3.5Â cm broad with blunted or rounded tips.
The flowers grow in groups of one to three in the leaf axils. The calyx (eventually ruptured by the growing berry) consists of bell-shaped or tubular sepals forming short, triangular lobes. The corollae are lavender or light purple, 9–14 mm wide with five or six lobes shorter than the tube. The stamens are structured with longer than the anthers. The anthers are longitudinally dehiscent.
- the largest annual harvest in China, accounting for 45% of the nation's total yield of wolfberries (50,000 tons, 2013);
- formation of an industrial association of growers, processors, marketers, and scholars of wolfberry cultivation to promote the berry's commercial and export potential;
- the nation's only source of superior grade wolfberries used by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.
- Dried berries (pictured above)
- Berry pieces in granola bars
- Yogurt products
- Green tea products
- An additive for manufacturing
- Juice concentrate
- Whole fruit purée
- Pulp powders
- Whole or ground seeds
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