Cadaba

Cadaba
Cadaba fruticosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Cadaba
Forssk.
Species[1]

29, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Desmocarpus Wall. (1832), not validly publ.
  • Macromerum Burch. (1822)
  • Mozambe Raf. (1838)
  • Schepperia Neck. ex DC. (1824)
  • Stroemia Vahl (1790)

Cadaba is a genus of shrubs in family Capparaceae, with about 30 species.[2] These have simple, alternately set leaves. The zygomorphic flowers, are solitary or stand in small clusters at the end of short side branches. These flowers consist of four sepals, none or four petals with a narrow claw at base and a wider plate at the top, a tube-shaped nectar producing appendix, four or five stamens that are merged for about half their length into a so-called androgynophore, and a gynophore on top of which will develop a cylindrical capsule with one or two cavities that contain many small kindney-shaped seeds, and opens with two valves. The genus name Cadaba is derived from the Arab word "kadhab", a local name for Cadaba rotundifolia. Some species are classified as famine food in southern Ethiopia.[3]

29 species are accepted:[1]

  1. ^ a b c Cadaba Forssk. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  2. ^ PlantZAfrica.com: Cadaba aphylla
  3. ^ Yves Guinand and Dechassa Lemessa, "Wild-Food Plants in Southern Ethiopia: Reflections on the role of 'famine-foods' at a time of drought" Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine UN-OCHA Report, March 2000 (accessed 15 January 2009)