Lycium barbarum Gojidelys

Lycium barbarum 'Gojidelys' is a new self-fertile Goji variety that revolutionizes the genre due to its resistance to powdery mildew, but also because its fruits, produced abundantly, are as tasty fresh as they are dried. Their nutritional value is just as interesting as that of wild berries. The bush, with a weeping habit, bears pink flowers in spring, followed by fleshy fruits that ripen from August to October. Very hardy, it grows in ordinary soil, in full sun. Goji berries have been known for their medicinal properties for millennia and are exceptionally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Goji (Lycium barbarum), also known as Wolfberry or Common Lycium, belongs to the Solanaceae family, just like tomatoes and potatoes. It is a deciduous shrub whose origin is controversial. It was long believed to come from China, but recent research has shown that it could be native to the Mediterranean basin, which tends to be supported by the species name 'barbarum', the Barbarians, which was associated in Linnaeus' time with North Africa. The 'Gojidelys' cultivar has recently been introduced to the horticultural market

Common Lycium is a woody shrub, with an upright, spreading, ramified habit, reaching 1.5m (4ft 11in) to 3m (9ft 10in) in height at maturity, depending on growing conditions. Its growth rate is moderate. The numerous branches are flexible and trailing. They are armed with a few long sharp spines. The foliage is deciduous, it is thick, leathery, fairly bright green in juvenile leaves, turning grey-green in mature leaves. The very fragrant and nectar-rich flowering takes place from June to July, in the form of small 10mm (0.4in) star-shaped tubes, pink-purple in this 'Gojidelys' variety. It is followed by the formation of reddish berries when ripe. It is preferable to consume the fully ripe fruits, even though the pulp does not contain any toxic alkaloids for human consumption. The 'Gojidelys' Goji berries are particularly enjoyable to eat both fresh and dried. The rooting of this shrub is superficial.

This small fruit is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, low in lipids. It contains calcium, potassium, iron, selenium, vitamins E, B2, beta-carotene (which gives it its orange colour) and vitamin C (which makes iron particularly assimilable by our body). Lycium pulp has been the subject of numerous studies in recent years, which tend to prove its antioxidant action.

Goji 'Gojidelys' integrates perfectly into the ornamental garden. It is a beautiful shrub with a weeping habit that can be included in a country hedge, along with currants and flowering shrubs, or trained with thornless garden blackberries.  As it is quite drought-resistant and very hardy, it can be planted anywhere in France, from North to South, it will adapt to the climate. It will simply be more productive if the soil is rich and remains moist. 

In France, three species of Lycium can be found growing in the wild : Lycium europeanum, Lycium chinense and our Lycium barbarum. Two of them are native to Southern Europe and L. chinense was brought from East Asia. The latter has naturalized in many places. Lyciums were used in the Roman and Greek pharmacopoeias, they fell into oblivion, then reappeared in the form of 'Goji berries' in the late 90s, when China opened up to the world and experienced rapid development.