| Zigzag caper-bush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Capparis fascicularis var. fascicularis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Capparaceae |
| Genus: | Capparis |
| Species: | C. fascicularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Capparis fascicularis DC. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Capparis fascicularis, the zigzag caper-bush, [2] is a plant in the Capparaceae family and is native to Africa.
This species has multiple synonyms. The species is said to comprise three varieties, but four are listed: [1]
Occurs from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga, [3] Limpopo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. [4] The range extends further to East Africa, Ethiopia, and across northern Nigeria, Niger and the Gambia. [5] This species generally occurs in deciduous bushland and thickets, grassland with scattered trees, upland dry evergreen and riverine forest, and sometimes on termite-mounds. [1] Var. fascicularis is found in dry bushveld [2] or dry deciduous woodland in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini. [6] Var. zeyheri is found in forest, bushveld and woodland near the coast in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, South Africa. [2] Var. elaeagnoides is found in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and the Gambia. [7]
A scrambling shrub or climber, usually with hooked spines on the stem. [3] Two varieties are known in South Africa; var. fascicularis (zigzag caper-bush) and var. zeyheri (coast zigzag caper-bush). [2] The most notable difference between these two varieties is that var. fascicularis has indented (notched [2] ) leaf-tips whereas var. zeyheri has pointed leaf-tips. The spines on the coast zigzag caper-bush are usually reduced or absent. [2] [3] The fragrant flowers are whitish [2] and produced on leafless side branchlets which resemble spikes or racemes. [8] The fruit are spherical and 6–15 mm in diameter, ripening to purple-black. [8]
The leaves are sold as food in markets of northern Nigeria. [5]
Capparis fascicularis is the larval foodplant of the butterflies Belenois creona and Eronia cleodora . [9]
Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers.
Protea gaguedi is a species of tree which belongs to the genus Protea.
Protea welwitschii is a species of shrub or small tree which belongs to the genus Protea, and which occurs in bushveld and different types of grassland.
Senecio barbertonicus, the Barberton groundsel or succulent bush senecio, is an evergreen succulent shrub of the family Asteraceae and genus Senecio, native to Southern Africa, named after one of its native localities Barberton and is now also being cultivated elsewhere for its drought resistance, clusters of sweetly scented, golden-yellow, tufted flower heads in winter and attractiveness to butterflies, the painted lady butterfly in particular.
Capparis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Capparaceae. It includes 142 species of shrubs or lianas which are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes. Capparis species occur over a wide range of habitat in the subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Eurasia, Australasia, and the Pacific.
Triclisia macrophylla is a species of plant in the family Menispermaceae. It is a climbing shrub producing stems 10 - 20 meters long. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Solenangis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Sevenia boisduvali, the Boisduval's tree nymph, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. There are four subspecies; all native to Africa.
Capparis tomentosa, the woolly caper bush or African caper, is a plant in the family Capparaceae and is native to Africa.
Crateva kirkii, commonly known as the three-finger bush, is a small deciduous tree belonging to the Capparaceae or caper family. It ranges through eastern and southern Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
Erianthemum dregei is a species of parasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, and is commonly known as the hairy mistletoe or wood flower.
Clutia pulchella, the lightning bush, is a southern African dioecious shrub of the family Peraceae. It occurs at middle altitudes in Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa.
Maerua angolensis is a 10m tall, occasionally deciduous tree of the Capparaceae or caper family, often growing on termitaria and in thickets fringing seasonal watercourses, up to 1800m. Though never common, it is widespread in tropical Africa and arid regions, being absent from high-rainfall regions.
Boscia foetida, commonly known as the stink shepherd's tree and the smelly shepherd's bush, is an evergreen shrub or tree that is native to the warmer and drier parts southern Africa. It is found in semi-desert and arid bushveld, and in the west it occurs commonly in areas which are otherwise sparsely wooded. It is known for the particularly unpleasant smell of its flowers which appear during early spring, to which its specific name foetida alludes. Its freshly cut wood likewise has an unpleasant smell, and has traditional medicinal and magical uses, for instance as a protection against lightning. In central Botswana the village of Mopipi is named after this species.
Barleria elegans is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a spiny perennial herb or subshrub native to Angola and Namibia, and to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and the Northern Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Vachellia kirkii, formerly classified as Acacia kirkii, is a tree species native to tropical Africa, but now attributed to the genus Vachellia, It is commonly known as the flood plain acacia.
Mundulea sericea, the cork bush, is an attractive shrub or small tree which is found in relatively open woodlands of Africa and South Asia. It is the only member of the genus with a range extending beyond Madagascar, and it resembles some African shrubs in the related genus Tephrosia.
Nymphaea petersiana is a species of the genus Nymphaea native to the region spanning from Tanzania to South Africa.