Capparis sepiaria

Capparis sepiaria, also commonly called hedge caper or wild caper bush, is a shrub that has a pantropical distribution, especially in dry deciduous forests, foothills and scrub jungles.[1][2]

Capparis sepiaria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Capparis
Species:
C. sepiaria
Binomial name
Capparis sepiaria
L.

Description

Capparis sepiaria is a prickly, evergreen shrub growing to 3 to 5 meters tall, with white flowers during season. It flowers from February onwards, and fruits start developing in April.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Capparis sepiaria has a pantropical distribution, and has been found in Africa, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India, Australia. In India, it has been observed in Kolhapur, Chikmagalur, Dharwad, Mysore, Shimoga, Hyderabad and various areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including the Nilgiri Mountains in the Western Ghats, where the locals, like the Irulas, are familiar with it for various traditional medicinal uses.[1]

Ecological significance

In the areas where Capparis sepiaria grows in Rajasthan, it appears to be an important source of fodder for local wildlife, like the chital, sambar, and nilgai, who like to eat the shoots.[3]

Like many members of the Capparis genus, various parts of the plant, especially the flowers and fruit, are used as food or traditional medicine.[1][4][5][6] The flowers are pollinated by bees and the tree bark is an important larval host plant for the great orange-tipped butterfly and yellow orange tip butterfly of South India.[1][7]

References
  1. "Capparis sepiaria L." India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  2. "Capparis sepiaria L. - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. Rodgers, W.A. (1990). "Capparis sepiaria L.: an important dry season fodder plant for wildlife". Range Management and Agroforestry. 11 (2): 199–206 – via CAB Direct.
  4. Sharma, Leena; Khandelwal, Sitaram (1 February 2010). "Traditional Uses of Plants as Cooling Agents by the Tribal and Traditional Communities of Dang Region in Rajasthan, India". Ethnobotanical Leaflets. 2010 (2).
  5. Hebbar, S.S.; Harsha, V.H.; Shripathi, V.; Hegde, G.R. (1 October 2004). "Ethnomedicine of Dharwad district in Karnataka, India—plants used in oral health care". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 94 (2–3): 261–266. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.04.021. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 15325728.
  6. Mishra, S. N.; Tomar, P. C.; Lakra, N. (January 2007). "Medicinal and food value of Capparis—a harsh terrain plant". Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 6 (1). ISSN 0972-5938.
  7. Butterflies of Bengaluru, Forest Department of Karnataka, Page 54 & Page 64 (http://biodiversitylab.ncbs.res.in/media/ButterfliesOfBengaluruBook_Sample.pdf)
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