Capparis cartilaginea
Capparis cartilaginea Decne. in Ann. Sc. Nat., Ser. 2, 3: 273. (1835).
Synonyms:
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Capparis spinosa subsp. cartilaginea (Decne.) Maire & Weiller, in Fl. Afr. Nord 12: 120 (1965).
Capparis antanossarum Baill., Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Paris 1: 462 (1885).
Capparis galeata Fresen., Mus. Senckenberg. 2: 111 (1837).
Capparis uncinata Edgew., J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 16: 1213 (1847).
NE
Prostrate or scrambling shrubs, sometimes hanging from the rocks, glabrous, glaucous, often fleshy with short crooked branches. Leaves petiolate; blade ovate, broadly elliptic or orbicular, 2-6 cm long, 1.5-6 cm broad, entire, more or less fleshy, drying subcoriaceous; apex entire or slightly emarginate with usually hooked-yellowish brown spine inserted below the apex. Flowers axillary and soli¬tary, asymmetrical, large, usually, white; pedicel stout, 4-5 cm long, increasing up to 8 cm (rarely more) and thickened in fruit. Sepals asymmetrical, posterior one about twice as large as the rest, deeply galeate, upto 4 cm long and 1-1.5 cm broad towards the apex. Petals unequal, not exceeding the largest sepal, posterior pair somewhat hooded and enclosed in the hooded posterior sepal. Stamens many, about 3 cm long. Gynophore 3-4 cm long, increasing up to 6 cm in fruit and becoming stout. Fruits ovoid or ellipsoid, 3-5 cm long, 2-3 cm broad, often reddish and ribbed, many seeded and pulpy.
SW and E. Africa, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE, Oman, S. Iran, Pakistan. The Farasan Islands(Farasan Al-Kabir-Sajid-Zifaf-Dumsuk).
Hard rock outcrops
Flowering time:April, January, March, February.