Capparis tomentosa
| Capparis tomentosa | |
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| Capparis tomentosa growing as a shrub in Amanzimtoti, South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Capparaceae |
| Genus: | Capparis |
| Species: | C. tomentosa |
| Binomial name | |
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Capparis tomentosa Lam. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Capparis tomentosa, the woolly caper bush or African caper, is a plant in the Capparaceae family and is native to Africa.
Found in bushveld and forest from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo Province, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and into tropical Africa. The northern part of the range extends from Senegal to Eritrea, and this species is also found in the Mascarene Islands.
Mostly a robust woody climber; which in riverine vegetation may grow to the top of the canopy. It may also be a straggling shrub or small tree.
The stem has sharp, paired, hooked spines. Young stems and spines are covered in dense velvety yellow hairs.
The leaves form between the spines and are alternate, oblong to broadly elliptic (30-80 × 15–25 mm), greyish-olive green, covered in velvet hairs (or smooth); margins entire, rolled under. The petiole is 4–12 mm long and velvety.
The flowers form in clusters; terminally on the primary branches or on short leafy lateral branchlets or occasionally scattered in the upper leaf-axils. They are large (35 mm) and scented, with a mass of pinkish-white stamens which are each 20–35 mm in length and may be crimson coloured at the base. The sepals are boat shaped and 8–10 mm long. The petals are whitish; 15–25 mm long and 7–10 mm wide.
The fruits hang from a long (25–50 mm) stalk-like branch called a gynophore. They are up to 40 mm (50 mm) in diameter; shiny green at first, ripening to pink or orange. The fruit contain many seeds embedded in a pinkish flesh. Dried-out, emptied fruit may hang on the plant for some time.
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Wikipedia