obtufis. Lin. Sp. 721. Caper 'With angular branches 
terminated by foot-ftalks, having many flowers , and ever- 
green, obtufle , oval leaves. Capparis arborefcens Lauri 
foliis fru'dtu longiffimo. Plum. Cat. 7. '■Tree Caper with 
Bay leaves , and the longefl fruit. 
g. Capparis ( Racemofts ) foliis ovatis oppofitis peren- 
nantibus floribus racemofis. Caper with oval leaves 
placed oppofite , which continue through the year , and 
flowers growing in bunches. 
£>. Capparis ( Siliquofa ) pedunculis unifloris compreffis, 
foliis perfiftentibus lanceolato-oblongis acuminatis 
fubtus pundlatis. Lin. Sp. 721. Caper with comprejfed 
foot-jlalks having one flower , and oblong , fpear-Jhaped , 
evergreen leaves , with punctures on their under fide. Brey- 
nia arborefcens, foliis ovatis utrinque acuminatis, 
filiqua torofa longiffima. Brown. Hift. Jam. 247. 
7. Capparis ( Fruticofa ) foliis lanceolatis acutis confertis 
perennantibus, caule fruticofo. Caper with pointed 
fpear-Jhaped leaves growing in clufiers , which continue 
through the year , and a Jhrubby ftalk. 
8. Capparis ( Confertis ) foliis lanceolatis alternis petiolis 
longiffimis floribus confertis. Caper with fpear-Jhaped 
leaves placed alternate on very long foot-jlalks , and flow- 
ers growing in clufiers. Capparis alia arborefcens Lauri 
foliis frudtu obiongo ovato. Plum. Cat. 7. 
9. Capparis ( Breynia ) pedunculis racemofis, foliis per- 
fiftentibus oblongis, pedunculis calycibulque tomen- 
tofis, floribus o&andns. Jacq. Amer. tab. 103. Caper 
with branching foot-jlalks , oblong evergreen leaves , flow- 
ers with eight fiamina , whofe foot-jlalks and cups are 
woolly. 
10. Capparis ( Trifloris ) foliis lanceolatis nervofis pe- 
rennantibus pedunculis trifloris. Caper with nervous 
fpear-Jhaped leaves which continue through the year, and 
three flowers upon each foot-ftalk. 
The firft is the common Caper, whofe full grown 
flower-bud is pickled, and brought to England an- 
nually from Italy, and the Mediterranean. This is 
a low fhrub, which generally grows out of the joints 
of old walls, the fiffures of rocks, and amongft rub- 
rbifh, in moft of the warm parts of Europe : the ftalks 
are ligneous, and covered with a white bark, which 
fends out many lateral (lender branches; under each 
of thele are placed two fliort crooked fpines, between 
•which and the branches come out the foot-ftalk of 
the leaves, which are fingle, fliort, and fuftain a 
round, fmooth, entire leaf ; at the intermediate joints 
•between the branches, come out the flowers upon 
long foot-ftalks ; before thefe expand, the bud, with 
the empalement, is gathered for pickling ; but thole 
which are left expand in form of a fingle Rofe, having 
five large, white, roundifh, concave petals ; in the 
middle is placed a great number of long ftamina, 
furrounding a ftyle, which rifes above them, and is 
crowned with an oval germen, which afterward be- 
comes a capfule, filled with kidney-fhaped feeds. 
This fort is cultivated upon old walls about Toulon, 
and in feveral parts of Italy. Mr. Ray obferved it 
growing naturally on the walls and ruins at Rome, 
Sienna, and Florence. 
The fecond fort hath a tree-like ftem dividing into 
branches, which are fmooth, having no fpines on 
them •, the leaves are oblong, oval, and fmooth, which 
continue through the year. From the wings of the 
leaves come out the foot-ftalks of the flowers, which 
are produced fingly ; thefe flowers are like thofe of 
the former, but are much larger, as are alfo the 
buds* 
The plants of the firft fort are with difficulty pre- 
ferved in England, for they delight to grow in cre- 
vices or rocks, and the joints of old walls or ruins, 
and always thrive beft in an horizontal pofition j fo 
that when they are planted either in pots, or the full 
ground, they rarely thrive, though they may be kept 
alive for fome years. They are propagated by feeds 
in the warm parts of Europe, but it is very difficult 
to get them to grow in England. I have feveral 
times flowed thefe feeds without fuccefs, as have many 
other perfons * I never had railed any of the plants from 
feeds,' excepting in the years 1738 and 1765, when I 
C A P 
had three plants come up in an old wall, which being 
young and tender, were deftroyed in the year 1 740^ 
but in the year 1765, raifed a good number of plants 
from feeds, which were fown the year before. There 
is an old plant growing out of a wall in the gardens 
at Cambden-Houfe, near Kenfington, which has re- 
filled the cold for many years, and annually produces 
many flowers, but the young fhoots of it are fre- 
quently killed to the flump every winter. 
The roots of this plant are annually brought from 
Italy, by the perfons who import Orange-trees, fome 
of which have been planted in walls, where they have 
lived a few years, but have not continued long. 
The third fort I received from Carthagena in New 
Spain, near which place it grows naturally. This 
rifes with a woody ftem to the height of twelve or 
fourteen feet, fending out many lateral branches, 
covered with a ruftet bark, garniffied with oblong 
oval leaves. Handing upon long foot-ftalks ; the 
flowers are produced from the fide of the branches, 
fingle, Handing upon long foot-ftalks, which are like 
thofe of the laft fort. 
The fourth fort was fent me from Carthagena by the 
late Mr. Robert Millar, furgeon. This grows with, 
a ftrong upright trunk near twenty feet high, fend- 
ing out many lateral branches, garniffied with a very 
white bark, and clofely garnilhed with large, oblong, 
ftiff leaves, of a thicker confiftence than thofe of the 
common Laurel, of a fplendid green, having feveral 
tranfverle nerves from the midrib to the border, 
which are prominent on their under fide ; the flowers 
come out from the fide of the branches, which are 
large, and the fummits of the ftamina are purple. 
The fifth fort was fent me from the fame country. 
This rifes with a trunk about twenty feet high, fend- 
ing out many long flender branches, which are co- 
vered with a brown bark, and garniffied with leaves 
like thofe of the Bay-tree, but longer, and deeply 
ribbed on their under fide, Handing upon pretty long 
foot-ftalks oppolite. The flowers are produced upon 
long branching foot-ftalks, which terminate the 
branches, each fuftaining two or three flowers, which 
are large, white, and are fucceeded by pods two or 
three inches long, the thicknefs of a man’s little 
finger, which are filled with large kidney-fhaped 
feeds : thefe pods have a thick fleffiy cover. 
The fixth fort was fent me from Tolu in America^ 
This riles with a lhrubby ftalk to the height of eight 
or ten feet, fending out many ligneous branches, 
covered with a reddiffi brown bark, garniffied with 
oblong, fpear-ffiaped, ftiff leaves, having punflures 
on their under fide ; from the wings of the leaves arife 
the foot-ftalks of the flowers, which are long, {lender, 
and comprelfled, each of which fuftains a fmall white 
flower, which is fucceeded by an oval pod, containing 
many fmall kidney-fhaped feeds. 
The feventh fort rifes with a lhrubby ftem to the 
height of twelve or fourteen feet, fending out many 
ftrong lateral branches, covered with a dark brown 
bark, garnilhed with fpear-fhaped pointed leaves, 
placed alternately, having very ffiort foot-ftalks ; the 
leaves are of a thicker confiftence than thofe of the 
Bay-tree ; at the foot-ftalk of each leaf comes out a 
Angle flower, almoft the whole length of the branches, 
which are fmall, and Hand upon Ihort foot-ftalks ; 
the fummits of thefe flowers are of a purpliffi colour, 
but the ftamina are white. This fort was fent me 
from Tolu. 
The eighth fort rifes with a lhrubby ftalk to the 
height of ten or twelve feet, fending out flender ho- 
rizontal branches, which are covered with a reddiffi 
bark ; the joints of thefe branches are far diftant 
at each of thefe come out feveral leaves in clufiers, 
without order, Handing upon pretty long foot-ftalks; 
they are fix inches long, and three broad in the 
middle, and as thick as thofe of the Laurel, of a 
ffiining green, fmooth on their upper fide, but have 
many tranfverle ribs on their under fide, which are 
prominent. I received this fort from Tolu, with the 
former. 
The 
