Wolfberry Leaves & Pests

Wolfberry Leaves

• Various Wolfberry species grow in most of the Southern U.S.. The leaves are thick and fleshy, some narrow and spear shaped and some oval with abutting thorns. The leaves alternate along the woody stems in groups of up to three. Wolfberry cannot tolerate drought and the leaves will shrivel and fall off if the plant is exposed to extremely arid conditions.

Leaf Uses

• Wolfberry leaves are dried and made into tea. The leaves are said to taste of apple and nuts and offer numerous health benefits. The leaves can also be eaten raw in salad or cooked like a green. Leaves should be harvested and used from the time they are young as the older leaves are tough and can be bitter. The leaves and shoots are grown commercially for use as a leafy vegetable.

Pests

• Slugs and snails are common pests that attack wolfberry leaves primarily when they are young and tender. Aphids are also commonly found on the plants but are easily controlled by spraying with water or insecticidal sprays. Other sucking insects such as thrips, scales, mealybugs and whiteflies can infest the plant occasionally. Pesticide use is unwise as the leaves will likely be ingested. The plant has few other pests, but a tiny invader, the goji gall mite, has caused significant damage to leaves.

Goji Gall Mite

• The goji gall mite is an eriophyoid mite that lives in the leaves and forms bumps or galls in the foliage. It was imported to the United Kingdom and is a pest confined to Lycium species. The infected plants come from China and have been found in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan and, more recently, the Netherlands. The insects are wormlike and salmon colored. They live and breed inside the leaves in the cavities or galls that they construct. The leaves become disfigured and will eventually die and fall off. Infected leaves should be removed and destroyed as the mite overwinters in the galls.