Capparis

Capparis is a flowering plant genus, comprising around 250 species in the family Capparaceae which is included in the Brassicaceae in the unrevised APG II system. These plants are shrubs or lianas and are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes. Capparis species occur over a wide range of habitat in the subtropical and tropical zones.
Plant description
The leaves are simple, entire and rarely reduced. Flowers are bisexual, bracteates, axillary or supra-axillary, solitary or in rows, in
racemes or umbels. Sepals and petals are 4 in number and are free. Stamens are many, ovary on a gynophore, 1-celled. Fruit is a berry, globose or ellipsoid.
Uses and ecology
Caperbushes are mainly used by humans for their fruit, which are rich in micronutrients. C. spinosa, simply known as caper, yields fruit and more importantly flower buds, which are widely used pickled as a vegetable condiment. The fruit of other species, such as karir (C. decidua), are also used for cooking; C. mitchellii and the Wild passionfruit (the local subspecies of C. spinosa) are well-known bush tucker in Australia. Mabinlang seeds (C. masaikai) are eaten as sweets.
Mabinlang is also used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Aspalathos, the root of a shrub contained for example in the sacred Ancient Egyptian incense kp.t (kyphi), is sometimes considered to be C. spinosa. Other species have also recorded uses in herbalism and folk medicine; dedicated research is largely lacking however. Mabinlins are sweet-tasting proteins found in Mabinlang seed (and possibly in other Capparis species); at least one of them is highly resistant to heat. The market for mabinlins is not large, but this is mainly due to insufficient supply rather than to lack of demand.
The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that Capparis canescens was also referred to as "Mondoleu" by the indigenous people from Rockhampton area of Queensland and that "The fruit is pyriform and half an inch in diameter. It is eaten by the aborigines without any preparation." (Thozet.) Mr. P. O'Shanesy observes that the pulpy part in which these Australian species of Capparis are imbedded is a good substitute for mustard."
Caperbushes from arid regions - chiefly C. decidua - are highly useful in landscape gardening, afforestation and reforestation. They can stop soil erosion and preserve agricultural land. Any large-flowered species can be used to attract butterflies. The Crimson Rose (Atrophaneura hector), a spectacular swallowtail butterfly of South Asia, likes to visit flowers of C. spinosa in the winter months for example.
The fruit and seeds of caperbushes are relished by many birds and other animals such as spiny-tailed lizards. Capparis plants are highly important as food for certain Lepidoptera caterpillars, many of them being Pierinae:
Appias lyncida (chocolate albatross) - recorded on C. heyneana and C. roxburghii.
Astraptes fulgerator (two-barred flasher) - recorded on C. frondosa.
Belenois aurota (caper white or pioneer) - recorded on C. zeylanica.
Cepora nerissa (common gull) - mainly on C. zeylanica.
Hebomoia glaucippe (great orangetip) - recorded on C. monii, C. roxburghii and C. sepiaria.
Ixias marianne (white orangetip) - recorded on C. grandis, C. sepiaria, C. decidua, and C. divaricata.
Leptosia nina (psyche) - recorded on C. zeylanica and others.
Pareronia ceylanica (dark wanderer) - recorded on C. heydeana, C. rheedii
Pareronia valeria (common wanderer) - recorded on C. zeylanica, C. rheedii, C. heydeana
The plant pathogenic ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella capparis was described from a caperbush. Some species of Capparis are becoming rare, mainly due to habitat destruction, and a few are seriously threatened with extinction.
Species
Plants of the World Online currently includes:
Capparis acutifolia Sweet
Capparis annamensis (Baker f.) M.Jacobs
Capparis anomala (F.Muell.) Christenh. & Byng
Capparis arborea (F.Muell.) Maiden – Brush caper
Capparis artensis Montrouz.
Capparis assamica Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis bachii Sy, R.K.Choudhary & Joongku Lee
Capparis batianoffii Guymer
Capparis beneolens Gagnep.
Capparis bodinieri H.Lév.
Capparis brachybotrya Hallier f.
Capparis brassii DC.
Capparis brevispina DC.
Capparis burmanica Collett & Hemsl.
Capparis buwaldae M.Jacobs
Capparis callophylla Blume
Capparis canescens Banks ex DC.
Capparis cantoniensis Lour.
Capparis cartilaginea Decne.
Capparis cataphyllosa M.Jacobs
Capparis chingiana B.S.Sun
Capparis chrysomeia Bojer
Capparis cinerea M.Jacobs
Capparis cleghornii Dunn
Capparis corymbosa Lam.
Capparis cucurbitina King
Capparis daknongensis Sy, G.C.Tucker, Cornejo & Joongku Lee
Capparis dasyphylla Merr. & F.P.Metcalf
Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. (= C. aphylla) – karir (kirir, k(h)air, karril, etc.)
Capparis diffusa Ridl.
Capparis dioica Gilg
Capparis divaricata Lam.
Capparis diversifolia Wight & Arn.
Capparis dongvanensis Sy, B.H.Quang & D.V.Hai
Capparis echinocarpa Pierre ex Gagnep.
Capparis erycibe Hallier f.
Capparis erythrocarpos Isert
Capparis fascicularis DC.
Capparis fengii B.S.Sun
Capparis flavicans Kurz
Capparis floribunda Wight
Capparis florida Fici & Souvann.
Capparis fohaiensis B.S.Sun
Capparis formosana Hemsl.
Capparis fusifera Dunn
Capparis gialaiensis Sy
Capparis grandidieri Baill.
Capparis grandiflora Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis grandis L.f.
Capparis hainanensis Oliv.
Capparis henryi Matsum.
Capparis hereroensis Schinz
Capparis heteracantha DC.
Capparis hinnamnoensis Souvann. & Fici
Capparis humistrata (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Capparis hypovellerea Gilg & Gilg-Ben.
Capparis jacobsii Hewson
Capparis kbangensis Sy & D.V.Hai
Capparis kebarensis Fici
Capparis khuamak Gagnep.
Capparis klossii Ridl.
Capparis koioides M.Jacobs
Capparis kollimalayana M.B.Viswan.
Capparis lanceolaris DC.
Capparis lanceolatifolia Fici, Bouaman. & Souvann.
Capparis laotica Gagnep.
Capparis lasiantha R.Br. ex DC.
Capparis lobbiana Turcz.
Capparis longestipitata Heine
Capparis longgangensis S.L.Mo & X.S.Lee ex Y.S.Huang
Capparis loranthifolia Lindl.
Capparis lucida (Banks ex DC.) Benth.
Capparis macleishii (A.G.Mill.) Christenh. & Byng
Capparis macrantha Souvann., Fici & Lanors.
Capparis masaikai H.Lév.
Capparis mekongensis Gagnep.
Capparis membranifolia Kurz
Capparis micracantha DC.
Capparis micrantha A.Rich.
Capparis mitchellii (Lindl. ex F.Muell.) Lindl. – wild orange (Australia), merne atwakeye (Arrernte)
Capparis monantha M.Jacobs
Capparis moonii Wight
Capparis multiflora Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis nana Craib
Capparis nilgiriensis Subba Rao, Kumari & V.Chandras.
Capparis nobilis (Endl.) F.Muell. ex Benth. - devil's guts (Norfolk Island)
Capparis nummularia DC.
Capparis olacifolia Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis ornans F.Muell. ex Benth.
Capparis pachyphylla M.Jacobs
Capparis parvifolia Fici
Capparis poggei Pax
Capparis pranensis (Pierre ex Gagnep.) M.Jacobs
Capparis pseudocerasifera Hauman
Capparis pubiflora DC.
Capparis pubifolia B.S.Sun
Capparis pyrifolia Lam.
Capparis quiniflora DC.
Capparis radula Gagnep.
Capparis ramonensis Danin
Capparis rheedei DC.
Capparis richardii Baill.
Capparis rigida M.Jacobs
Capparis rotundifolia Rottler
Capparis roxburghii DC.
Capparis rufidula M.Jacobs
Capparis sabiifolia Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis sandwichiana DC. – Hawaiian caper, Maiapilo, Pua pilo (Hawaii endemic)
Capparis sarmentosa A.Cunn. ex Benth.
Capparis scortechinii King
Capparis sepiaria L.; a cryptic species complex
Capparis shanesiana F.Muell.
Capparis shevaroyensis Sundararagh.
Capparis siamensis Kurz
Capparis sikkimensis Kurz
Capparis spinosa L. – Caper(note: C. zoharyi Inocencio, D.Rivera, Obón & Alcaraz is a synonym of C. spinosa var. aegyptia (Lam.) Boiss.)
Capparis srilankensis Sundararagh.
Capparis subsessilis B.S.Sun
Capparis sunbisiniana M.L.Zhang & G.C.Tucker
Capparis tagbanuorum Fici
Capparis tchaourembensis Fici
Capparis tenera Dalzell
Capparis thorelii Gagnep.
Capparis thozetiana (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Capparis tomentosa Lam.
Capparis tonkinensis Gagnep.
Capparis trichocarpa B.S.Sun
Capparis trinervia Hook.f. & Thomson
Capparis trisonthiae Srisanga & Chayam.
Capparis umbonata Lindl. - northern wild orange
Capparis urophylla F.Chun
Capparis velutina P.I.Forst.
Capparis versicolor Griff.
Capparis viburnifolia Gagnep.
Capparis viminea Oliv.
Capparis wui B.S.Sun
Capparis yunnanensis Craib & W.W.Sm.
Capparis zeylanica L. (= C. linearis Blanco) – kapchip (Wayuunaiki)
Capparis zippeliana Miq.
Formerly placed here
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Adansonia gregorii F.Muell. (as C. gibbosa A.Cunn.)
Anisocapparis speciosa (Griseb.) Cornejo & H.H.Iltis (as C. speciosa Griseb.)
Boscia albitrunca (Burch.) Gilg & Benedict (as C. albitrunca Burch.)
Boscia oleoides (as Capparis oleoides)
Calanthea pulcherrima (Jacq.) Miers (as C. pulcherrima Jacq.)
Colicodendron scabridum (Kunth) Seem. (as C. scabrida Kunth)
|
Crateva magna (Lour.) DC. (as C. magna Lour.)
Cynophalla flexuosa (L.) J.Presl – Limber caper
Cynophalla hastata (Jacq.) J.Presl – Broadleaf caper
Cynophalla heterophylla (Ruiz & Pav. ex DC.) Iltis & Cornejo
Cynophalla retusa (Griseb.) Cornejo & H. H. Iltis (as C. retusa Griseb.)
Ritchiea reflexa (Thonn.) Gilg & Benedict (as C. reflexa Thonn.)
Sarcotoxicum salicifolium (Griseb.) Cornejo & H.H.Iltis (as C. salicifolia Griseb.)
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See also
Caparica (Almada)
Footnotes
References
(2006): Problems with DNA barcodes for species delimitation: ‘ten species’ of Astraptes fulgerator reassessed (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity 4(2): 127–132. PDF fulltext
(2004): Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the semitropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator. PNAS'' 101(41): 14812–14817. PDF fulltext Supporting Appendices
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus