N AT. ORDER. 



Capparidece. 



CAPPARIS SPINOSA. COMMON CAPER-BUSH. 



Class XIII. PoLYANDRiA. Order I. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Calyx, four-leaved, coriaceous. Petals four. Stamens 



long. Berry corticose, one-celled, pedicelled. 

 Spe. Char. Pedimcles one-flowered, solitary. Stipides spiny. 

 Leaves, annual. Capsules, oval. 



The root of this shrub is woody and crooked ; the stem is trail- 

 ing, round, and smooth ; the branches are alternate, spreading, often 

 downy, leafy, and many-flowered ; tlie leaves are alternate, spread- 

 ing, oval, or roundish, and stand on short footstalks, in the wild 

 plant often terminated by a little sharp point, which disappears by 

 culture, entire, veiny, succulent, bright green, deciduous ; Stipulce 

 none ; but in their place are two spines at the base of the footstalks 

 which are acute, somewhat recurved, yellowish, and nearly obliter- 

 ated in the cultivated plant ; the Jlowers axe numerous, axillary, sol- 

 itary, placed on short footstalks, without bracteas, large, handsome 

 and inodorous ; thejlower-stalks are round and longer than the leaves ; 

 the calyx consists of four unequal concave leaves, tipped with pur- 

 ple ; the petals are much larger than the calyx, spreading, obovate, 

 waved, white, and sometimes are found with a faint tincture of red ; 

 the stamens are very numerous, the length of the petals, spreading, 

 slender in the upper part, and of a pale purple like the anthers ; the 

 germcn is oval, small, green, and stands on a round purplish footstalk, 

 which is longer than the stamens ; tho stigma is smaU and blunt ; the 

 capside is oblong, oval, and coriaceous. It is a native of the south 

 of France, Italy, and the Levant. 



