Capparis L.

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Capparis:
"Capparis" is also a family name, see e.g. Melpomene Capparis.

Capparis is a flowering plant genus in the family Capparaceae which is included in the Brassicaceae in the unrevised APG II system. These plants are shrubs or lianas and are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes. Capparis species occur over a wide range of habitat in the subtropical and tropical zones.



Uses and ecology[edit]


The well-known caper is a pickled flower bud of Capparis spinosa.

Caperbushes are mainly used by humans for their fruit, which are rich in micronutrients. C. spinosa, simply known as caper, yields fruit and more importantly flower buds, which are widely used pickled as a vegetable condiment. The fruit of other species, such as karir (C. decidua), are also used for cooking; C. mitchellii and the Wild passionfruit (the local subspecies of C. spinosa) are well-known bush tucker in Australia. Mabinlang seeds (C. masaikai) are eaten as sweets.

Mabinlang is also used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Aspalathos, the root of a shrub contained for example in the sacred Ancient Egyptian incense kp.t (kyphi), is sometimes considered to be C. spinosa. Other species have also recorded uses in herbalism and folk medicine; dedicated research is largely lacking however. Mabinlins are sweet-tasting proteins found in Mabinlang seed (and possibly in other Capparis species); at least one of them is highly resistant to heat. The market for mabinlins is not large, but this is mainly due to insufficient supply rather than to lack of demand.

Caperbushes from arid regions - chiefly C. decidua - are highly useful in landscape gardening, afforestation and reforestation. They can stop soil erosion and preserve agricultural land. Any large-flowered species can be used to attract butterflies. The Crimson Rose (Atrophaneura hector), a spectacular swallowtail butterfly of South Asia, likes to visit flowers of C. spinosa in the winter months for example.


Many birds eat ripe Capparis spinosa fruit and seeds.

The fruit and seeds of caperbushes are relished by many birds and other animals such as spiny-tailed lizards. Capparis plants are highly important as food for certain Lepidoptera caterpillars, many of them Colotini or Pierini:

The plant pathogenic ascomycete fungus Mycosphaerella capparis was described from a caperbush. Some species of Capparis are becoming rare, mainly due to habitat destruction, and a few are seriously threatened with extinction.

Selected species[edit]


Drawing of Capparis micracantha, showing its parts. Francisco Manuel Blanco, Flora de Filipinas, etc (1880-1883)


Drawing of Capparis "sepiaria", showing its parts. Francisco Manuel Blanco, Flora de Filipinas, etc (1880-1883)

Formerly placed here[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Genus: Capparis L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2006-03-31. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
  2. ^ Hébert et al. (2004), Brower et al. (2006)
  3. ^ "Capparis sandwichiana". Plant Collections. United States Botanic Garden. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  4. ^ "Capparis sandwichiana". Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  5. ^ "Capparis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
  6. ^ a b "GRIN Species Records of Capparis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
  7. ^ A systematic revision of Capparis section Capparis

References[edit]

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Sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Capparis&oldid=636484230

Capparis masaikai:

Capparis masaikai, known as Mabinlang,[1] grow in the subtropical region of the Yunnan province of China and bear fruits of tennis-ball size. The mature seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

They are also used as sweets; when chewed the seeds elicit a sweet taste.[2]

The origin of the sweet taste was identified as sweet-tasting proteins named Mabinlins. They are highly sweet, 100-400 times sweeter than sucrose on a weight basis.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Data Portal of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Biodiversity occurrence data for Capparis masaikai H. Léveillé
  2. ^ a b X Liu, S Maeda, Z Hu, T Aiuchi, K Nakaya, Y Kurihara. Purification, complete amino acid sequence and structural characterization of the heat-stable sweet protein, mabinlin II. Eur J Biochem 1993. 211(1–2):281-7. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1993.tb19896.x PMID 8425538
  3. ^ S Nirasawa, T Nishino, M Katahira, S Uesugi, Z Hu, Y Kurihara. Structures of heat-stable and unstable homologues of the sweet protein mabinlin. Eur J Biochem 1994, 223(3):989-95. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1994.tb19077.x PMID 8055976
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Description:

Shrubs or small trees, often climbing; branches often spiny. Leaves simple, entire. Inflorescences of terminal or axillary racemes, sometimes condensed into corymbs or umbels. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 4. Petals usually 4. Stamens 6-many. Androgynophore very short. Gynophore present. Fruit a usually indehiscent, spherical, ovoid or elongated berry.

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Rights holder/AuthorMark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe
Sourcehttp://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=630

Capparis

Árboles pequeños, arbustos erectos o excepcionalmente escandentes. Hojas alternas, pecioladas; láminas simples, usualmente lepidotas; nectarios extraflorales axilares usualmente presentes; estípulas ausentes. Flores actinomorfas, 4-meras, bisexuales, pedunculadas, solitarias o en cortos racimos axilares; sépalos valvados o imbricados; pétalos libres, blancos, rosados o amarillentos; estambres numerosos, mucho más largos que los pétalos; ovario súpero, con dos carpelos sostenidos por ginóforo; óvulos pocos o numerosos, con placentación parietal. Fruto un folículo alargado, leñoso o coriáceo, indehiscente o irregularmente dehiscente; semillas numerosas, en 2 filas, con una cubierta carnosa. Género tropical y subtropical con 150-350 especies.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDepartment of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany
Sourcehttp://botany.si.edu/Antilles/PRFlora/vinesEspanol.html

Capparis

Small trees or shrubs, erect or exceptionally scandent. Leaves alternate, petiolate; blades simple, usually lepidote; axillary extrafloral nectaries usually present; stipules absent. Flowers actinomorphic, 4-merous, bisexual, pedunculate, solitary or in short axillary racemes; sepals valvate or imbricate; petals free, white, pink, or yellowish; stamens numerous, much longer than the petals; ovary superior, with two carpels, borne on a gynophore; ovules few or numerous, with parietal placentation. Fruit an elongate follicle, woody or coriaceous, indehiscent or irregularly dehiscent; seeds numerous, in 2 rows, with a fleshy covering. A tropical and subtropical genus of 150-350 species.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDepartment of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany
Sourcehttp://botany.si.edu/Antilles/PRFlora/vines.html

Statistics of barcoding coverage:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:156
Specimens with Sequences:201
Specimens with Barcodes:184
Species:59
Species With Barcodes:56
Public Records:66
Public Species:40
Public BINs:0

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=148639

Barcode data:

Access Published & Released Data: Download FASTA File

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=148639
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