Zigzag caper-bush

Description

Capparis fascicularis, the zigzag caper-bush,is a plant in the Capparaceae family and is native to Africa. Occurs from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.The range extends further to East Africa, Ethiopia, and across northern Nigeria, Niger and the Gambia. This species generally occurs in deciduous bushland and thickets, grassland with scattered trees, upland dry evergreen and riverine forest, and sometimes on termite-mounds.Var. fascicularis is found in dry bushveld or dry deciduous woodland in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland.nVar. zeyheri is found in forest, bushveld and woodland near the coast in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, South Africa Var. elaeagnoides is found in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and the Gambia A scrambling shrub or climber, usually with hooked spines on the stem.Two varieties are known in South Africa; var. fascicularis (zigzag caper-bush) and var. zeyheri (coast zigzag caper-bush).The most notable difference between these two varieties is that var. fascicularis has indented leaf-tips whereas var. zeyheri has pointed leaf-tips. The spines on the coast zigzag caper-bush are usually reduced or absent. The fragrant flowers are whitish and produced on leafless side branchlets which resemble spikes or racemes.The fruit are spherical and 6–15 mm in diameter, ripening to purple-black.