CAPPARACEAE Juss. (Incl. CAPPARIDACEAE Juss.)
Family composed of 34 genera and about 450 species of trees, shrubs, lianas and, rarely, herbaceous plants, with a tropical and subtropical distribution and a small representation in the Mediterranean region. In North Africa there are 4 genera with trees and shrubs species.
Key to genera
1 Flowers with well developed petals 2
1 Flowers without petals or with very small petals 3
2 Stipules generally spiny. Fruit pyriform or globose Capparis
2 Stipules not spiny or without stipules. Fruit cylindrical with constrictions between seeds Cadaba
3 Leaves small (0.5-2.5 cm long). Fruit densely pubescent, with very pronounced constrictions between seeds (1-6 seeds) Maerua
3 Leaves larger (3-7 cm long). Fruit glabrescent, globose, solitary, with rigid walls and with 1-3 seeds Boscia
Arbonnier, M. 2009. Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Editions Quae, Paris.
Wafaa, M. et al., 2009., Taxonomic Study of Capparaceae from Egypt: Revisited.. The African Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology 3(1): 27-35.
Key to genera
1 Flowers with well developed petals 2
1 Flowers without petals or with very small petals 3
2 Stipules generally spiny. Fruit pyriform or globose Capparis
2 Stipules not spiny or without stipules. Fruit cylindrical with constrictions between seeds Cadaba
3 Leaves small (0.5-2.5 cm long). Fruit densely pubescent, with very pronounced constrictions between seeds (1-6 seeds) Maerua
3 Leaves larger (3-7 cm long). Fruit glabrescent, globose, solitary, with rigid walls and with 1-3 seeds Boscia
Updated by: J. Charco & H. Sainz.