''Capparis fascicularis'', the zigzag caper-bush,Boon, R. (2010). ''Pooley's Trees of Eastern South Africa; A Complete Guide.'' . is a plant in the

Capparaceae The Capparaceae (or Capparidaceae), commonly known as the caper family, are a family of plants in the order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, the family contains 15 genera and about 430 species. The largest genera are ''Capparis'' (about 1 ...

family and is native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Capparis fascicularis var zeyheri flowers 02 03 2011

Capparis fascicularis var zeyheri old stem 26 02 2011

Taxonomy

This species has multiple synonyms. The species is said to comprise three varieties, but four are listed: *''Capparis fascicularis'' DC. var. ''fascicularis'' (1824) *''Capparis fascicularis'' var. ''zeyheri'' (Turcz.) Toelken (1824) *''Capparis fascicularis'' var. ''elaeagnoides'' (Gilg) DeWolf (1824) *''Capparis fascicularis'' var. ''scheffleri'' (Gilg & Gilg-Ben.) DeWolf (1824)

Distribution and habitat

Occurs from the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, through

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

,Pooley, E. (1993). ''The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei''. .

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

.Flora of Zimbabwe: ''Capparis fascicularis'' DC. var. ''fascicularis'': http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=124440, retrieved 24 February 2011. The range extends further to

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, and across northern

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

and the

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

.Burkill, H.M. (1985). ''The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 1''. 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 Eswatini.Hyde, M.A. & Wursten, B. (2011). ''Flora of Zimbabwe'': ''Species information'': ''Capparis fascicularis'' var. ''fascicularis''. http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=124440, retrieved 25 February 2011 Var. ''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 Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, Niger, Nigeria,

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

and the Gambia.Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques Ville de Geneve: SANBI African Plant Database: http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=12911, retrieved 25 February 2011.

Description

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 (notched) 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.Hyde, M.A. & Wursten, B. (2011). ''Flora of Mozambique: Species information'': Capparis fascicularis var. fascicularis. http://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=124440, retrieved 2 March 2011 The fruit are spherical and 6–15 mm in diameter, ripening to purple-black.

Human uses

The leaves are sold as food in

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

s of northern Nigeria.

Ecological significance

''Capparis fascicularis'' is the larval foodplant of the butterflies ''

Belenois creona ''Belenois creona'', the African common white or African caper, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Afrotropical realm. Description The wingspan is 40–45 mm. The sexes are dimorphic. Males Uppersides are white w ...

'' and ''

Eronia cleodora ''Eronia cleodora'', the vine-leaf vagrant, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found throughout Africa.

''.Williams, M. (1994). ''Butterflies of Southern Africa; A Field Guide''. .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5036119 fascicularis Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle