16 



PLATE 214 



CAPPAEIS ZETHEBI, Turcz. (Animad. p. 54). 

 Natural Order, CAPPAEIDEJ;. 



A climbing plant with white flowers. Stems and branches flexuous, terete, 

 glabrous or minutely downy. Leaves alternate, petiolate, oblong-acuminate or 

 broadly oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or minutely downy especially on the midvein 

 beneath, glabrous and shining above, margin entire, undulate, tapering to both 

 ends, veins prominent beneath, less so above; 2-3 lines long, f 1-J line wide; 

 petiole channelled above, 5-8 lines long. Stipules in pairs, spiny, recurved. In- 

 florescence axillary, racemope, racemes shorter than the leaves, but varying much 

 in length and in number of flowers. Pedicels 2-4 lines long, very slender. Sepals 

 4, imbricate in asstivation, oblong or obovate, concave, finely pubescent externally, 

 ciliate, green, 1^ line long, 1 line broad. Petals 4, hypogynous, alternate with 

 sepals, white, obovate, ciliate, 2-2 J lines long, 1 line broad. Stamens 8, inserted 

 on a very short hemispherical torus, filaments filiform, glabrous, white, 2-4 lines 

 long. Anthers 2-celled, attached a little above the base. Ovary long stalked, 

 the stalk (stipes) 2-3 lines long, minutely pilose at base. Style o ; stigma obtuse. 



Habitat : NATAL : Williamson ; Sanderson ; Drege, 8505 ; near Durban, March, 

 150 feet alt, Wood (Government Herbarium, 665) Clairmont, February, Wood; 

 Berea, February, Wood. 



Drawn and described from Wood's specimens. 



The genus Capparis includes about 120 species inhabiting the warmer parts of 

 Europe and Asia, of which 1 1 are enumerated as being natives of Africa, and 4 of 

 these have been collected in Natal. There is also another species (Wood 4438) 

 which was collected near Weenen, and is not yet described, the material being in- 

 sufficient. From one species of the genus ( ( . tspinosa) the " Capers " of com- 

 merce are obtained, and possibly other species are used in the same way. The 

 buds are first placed in slightly salted vinegar, then strained and preserved in 

 bottles with fresh vinegar. It is not unlikely that the buds of our C. corymbifera 

 might be used in the same way. 



Fig. 1, a flower; 2, calyx lobe; 3, longitudinal section through flower ; 4, 

 anther, front and back view ; 5, ovary and stipes ; all enlarged. 



