Caper (Capparis spinosa)
Small thorny shrub. Its pickled buds yield the capers used in cooking.
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Appearance
Small thorny shrub. Its pickled buds yield the capers used in cooking.
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Leaves
Deciduous, 1 to 3 cm long, elliptic, ovate or circular leaves, dark green in colour. Tips are notched.
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Leaf upperside
Deciduous, 1 to 3 cm long, elliptic, ovate or circular leaves, dark green in colour. Tips are notched.
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Flowers
Flowering period: VI to VIII. White or purple-coloured attractive flowers, 5 to 7 cm in size. The buds are harvested before they flower and pickled in brine or vinegar.
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Fruits
The fruit is also known as caper berry. Approx. 2 cm in size. Can be pickled and eaten.
Application
Open country, open fields, parks, container plants, kitchen gardens, front gardens, crop plant
Native regions
Mediterranean regions, North Africa, Southwest Asia
Location parameters
Light: full sun to sunny; soil: extremely dry to slightly dry; soil structure: normal to loose; soil depth: very shallow to very deep; humus concentration: low to medium; pH value: slightly acid to extremely alkaline; nutrient concentration: very low to normal; soil: extremely dry to slightly dry.
Demands
Does not tolerate stagnant moisture.
Hardiness
down to -5 C°
Growth
Height of growth: 0.3 to 0.7 m. Spread: 0.6 to 2 m. Slow-growing, semi-circular, weeping or low-lying shrub.
Leaves
Deciduous, 1 to 3 cm long, elliptic, ovate or circular leaves, dark green in colour. Tips are notched.
Flowers
Flowering period: VI to VIII. White or purple-coloured attractive flowers, 5 to 7 cm in size. The buds are harvested before they flower and pickled in brine or vinegar.
Fruits
The fruit is also known as caper berry. Approx. 2 cm in size. Can be pickled and eaten.
Bark
Thorny branches.