Capparis.] IX. capparidace^ (oliver). 95 



Leaves ovate-oblonar. Flowers in axillary sessile or subsessile fasci- 

 cles of 4-6. Pedicels and calyx pilose -tomeDtose 8, C Rothii. 



Glaucescent. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, emarginate. Flowers 



small, subcorymbose 9. C. micrantha. 



^Extremities usually destitute of stipular spines. 



Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate with a reflexed macro. Flowers in 



axillary or terminal corymbs or racemes. Fruit oval-oblong . . 10. C. ? refiexa. 



Leaves 3-4 in., obovate or obovate-obloug, on very short petioles, 



scabrid above. Flowers in terminal umbels. Petals short . .11. C. Kirkii. 

 B. Two outer sepals much shorter than the two inner (which are peta- 

 loid) after expansion. Flowers axillary, solitary. Ovary angular 

 or winged. Usually with stipular spines. (Sect. Petersia.) 



Leaves elliptical obtuse or acuminate. Outer sepals enclosing the 

 bud, about half as long as the inner after expansion. Ovary 

 glabrous 12. C. erytArocaipa. 



Leaves elliptical, obtuse. Outer sepals spreading before expansion 

 of the bud, about one-third or a quarter as long, as the inner 

 after expansion. Ovary tomentose 1 3. C. rosea. 



1. C. aphylla. Roth, Nov. PL Sp. 238. A much-branched, glabrous 

 tree or shrub. Branches terete, leafless, exceptinoj in young plants and on 

 barren shoots, usually with short, nearly straight or ascending, stipular 

 spines. Leaves, when present, linear or linear-lanceolate. Flowers about I 

 in. diam., in lateral and terminal fascicles or corymbose racemes. Pedicels 

 \ in. or shorter. Sepals unequal in breadth ; the anterior outer sepal larger 

 and deeply saccate, but slightly imbricate or subvalvate (at least the 2 outer) 

 in Eestivation. Ovary on a gynophore of \-^ in. Style about half as long 

 as the ovary. Fruit ovoid, pointed or subglobose, several- or many-seeded. 

 — C. Sodada, Brown in Denham and Clap p. App. 20. Sodada dtcidua^ 

 Forsk. Fl. iEgypt. 81 ; Delile, Fl. ^Egypt. t. 26. 



North Central. Bornou, Oudney {Brown). 



Nile I«and. Nubia, Schweinfurth I Abyssinia, Schimper ! Seuuar. 



Extends eastward through Arabia to India. 



2. C, spinosa Linn. ; DC. Prod. i. 245. A glabrous or more or less 

 tomentose, trailing shrub ; the extremities usually puberulous or tomentose, 

 armed with recurved or nearly straight, stipular spines. Leaves coriaceous, 

 rotundate or from broadly obovate to broadly ovate, retuse or entire, raucro- 

 nate, pale green or glaucescent, j-l^ in. diam. ; petiole 1-2 lines. Flowers 

 large, 1-3 in. across, axillary, solitary or forming loose, unilateral, leafy 

 racemes. Peduncles equalling or exceeding the subtending leaf. Sepals 

 subequal in length, the two outer deeply concave or the anterior more deeply 

 saccate. Petals white, exceeding the sepals. Fruit oval-oblong or clavate, 

 on a strong gynophore of 1^ in., separating at length into 3 or 4 valves. 

 —a (Sffi/piia, Lam. Diet. i. 605 ; Delile, Fl. iEgypt. t. 31. f. 3. 



Nile laand. Kordofan, Kotschy I 



Spreading through the Mediterranean region and Egypt, it extends eastward to Western 

 India. For extended synonymy see Anderson in Linn. Soc. Joum. v. Suppl. i. 5, and 

 Hook. f. et Thorns. Fl. Indica {ined.). The buds are pickled as " capers." 



3. C. galeata, lE^resen. in Mm. Senck. ii. 111. A glaucous, leafy, dif- 



