Caper

For other uses, see Caper (disambiguation).

Capparis spinosa
Illustration by Otto Wilhelm Thomé
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Capparis
Species:
C. spinosa
Binomial name
Capparis spinosa
Linnaeus, 1753
Synonyms[2]
Synonymy
Capparis spinosa fruit in Behbahan
Capparis spinosa fruits in Behbahan

Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders rose,[3] is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers.[4][5][6]

The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled. Species within the genus Capparis are highly variable, and interspecific hybrids have been common throughout the evolutionary history of the genus. As a result, some authors have considered C. spinosa to be composed of multiple distinct species,[7] others that the taxon is a single species with multiple varieties or subspecies,[8][9] or that the taxon C. spinosa is a hybrid between C. orientalis and C. sicula.[10]

Capparis spinosa is native to almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries,[11] and is included in the flora of most of them, but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. The family Capparaceae could have originated in the tropics and later spread to the Mediterranean basin.[12]

The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning or garnish, and the fruit (caper berries), both of which are usually consumed salted or pickled. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits. Other parts of Capparis plants are used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics.

  1. ^ Rankou, H., M'Sou, S., Diarra, A. & Ait Babahmad, R.A. 2020. Capparis spinosa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T137745831A139593491. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T137745831A139593491.en. Downloaded on 24 September 2021.
  2. ^ The Plant List, Capparis spinosa L
  3. ^ "Capparis spinosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  4. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Cappero, Kapernstrauch, Capparis spinosa L. includes photos and European distribution map
  5. ^ Flora of China, 山柑 shan gan, Capparis spinosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 503. 1753.
  6. ^ "Capparis spinosa L." Atlas of Living Australia.
  7. ^ Zohary, M. (1960). "The species of Capparis in the Mediterranean and the Near Eastern Countries." Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel, Section D, Botany 8(2): 49-64
  8. ^ Jacobs, M. (1965). "The genus Capparis (Capparaceae) from the Indus to the Pacific". Blumea. 12: 385–541.
  9. ^ Heywood V.H. (1993). "Flowering plants of the world." Oxford University Press, New York
  10. ^ D. Rivera, C. Inocencio, C. Obón, E. Carreño, A. Reales, F. Alcaraz. (2002). "Archaeobotany of capers (Capparis) (Capparaceae)." Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 11(4): 295–313
  11. ^ Fici, S. (2001). "Intraspecific variation and evolutionary trends in Capparis spinosa L. (Capparaceae)". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 228 (3–4): 123–141. Bibcode:2001PSyEv.228..123F. doi:10.1007/s006060170024. S2CID 8713605.
  12. ^ Pugnaire de Iraola, F.I. (1989). "Nota sobre las Capparaceae ibéricas". Blancoana. 7: 121–122.