Capparis spinosa
speciesAt a glance
Sources17 archives
Databases and archives Capparis spinosa's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation17 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility7 802 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI7 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics10 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
dukesphytochemcompounds
FooDBThe Metabolomics Innovation Centrecompounds↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
WikidataWikimedia Foundationstructured facts↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers.Altervista Flora Italiana, Cappero, Kapernstrauch, Capparis spinosa L. includes photos and European distribution mapFlora of China, 山柑 shan gan, Capparis spinosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 503. 1753. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning or garnish, and the fruit (caper berries), both of which are usually consumed salted or, alternatively, pickled. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits. Other parts of Capparis plants are used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics. Capparis spinosa is native to almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries, and is included in the flora of most of them, but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. The family Capparaceae could have originated in the tropics, and later spread to the Mediterranean basin. The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled. Species within the genus Capparis are highly variable, and interspecific hybrids have been common throughout the evolutionary history of the genus. As a result, some authors have considered C. spinosa to be composed of multiple distinct species,Zohary, M. (1960). "The species of Capparis in the Mediterranean and the Near Eastern Countries." Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel, Section D, Botany 8(2): 49-64 others that the taxon is a single species with multiple varieties or subspecies,Heywood V.H. (1993). "Flowering plants of the world." Oxford University Press, New York or that the taxon C. spinosa is a hybrid between C. orientalis and C. sicula.D. Rivera, C. Inocencio, C. Obón, E. Carreño, A. Reales, F. Alcaraz. (2002). "Archaeobotany of capers (Capparis) (Capparaceae)." Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 11(4): 295–313
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology15
Life cycle & reproduction16
Diet & foraging1
Habitat & environment16
Physiology & chemistry7
Other traits2
Compounds documented for Capparis spinosa across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds5 771 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| WATER | 795,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| CARBOHYDRATES | 537,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| FAT | 360,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| PROTEIN | 220,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| LINOLEIC-ACID | 183,600 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| OLEIC-ACID | 165,600 ppm | DukesPhytochem | |
| ASH | 140,000 ppm | DukesPhytochem |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Capparis spinosa has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Capparis spinosa carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 3812×CCDB · iber-fl · CCDB · ipcn-api-dl · CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 +4
2n 246×CCDB · ipcn-api-dl · CCDB · book-indian_vol1 · CCDB · eflora +2
2n 121×CCDB · CromoCat 2015
n 01×CCDB · CromoCat 2015
n 121×CCDB · iapt
n 191×CCDB · book-ipcn73-74
polyploid inferred1×PloiDB · genus-scale
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
How it livedPBDB
Record type7 802 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions59 of 110 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| GMBAlocation not on record | 77 |
| Palmerston, AU | 63 |
| QAUlocation not on record | 51 |
| Beijing, CN | 38 |
| Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record | 38 |
| Moscow State Universitylocation not on record | 35 |
| LDlocation not on record | 27 |
| Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistanlocation not on record | 25 |
| Córdoba, ES | 20 |
| BRNUlocation not on record | 19 |
| Kensington, AU | 18 |
| Rishon Le Zion, IL | 16 |
| Kunming, CN | 15 |
| Smithfield, AU | 15 |
| BClocation not on record | 14 |
| Berlin, DE | 12 |
| Kew, GB | 12 |
| WNNUlocation not on record | 11 |
| València, ES | 10 |
| Museo della Bonifica di San Donà di Piavelocation not on record | 10 |
| Urumqi, CN | 10 |
| Université de Strasbourglocation not on record | 10 |
| MAlocation not on record | 9 |
| Lanzhou, CN | 9 |
| Barcelona, ES | 8 |
| Paris, FR | 8 |
| Davis, US | 8 |
| CICYTEXlocation not on record | 8 |
| BDBClocation not on record | 8 |
| UIBlocation not on record | 7 |
| Xining, CN | 7 |
| Yangling, CN | 7 |
| Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicachlocation not on record | 6 |
| Auckland, NZ | 6 |
| Claremont, US | 5 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 5 |
| Saint Louis, US | 5 |
| Guangzhou, CN | 5 |
| Urumqi, CN | 5 |
| Wlocation not on record | 4 |
| Stockholm, SE | 4 |
| College of the Atlantic, Museumlocation not on record | 4 |
| BIO-UNIPIlocation not on record | 4 |
| WTUlocation not on record | 4 |
| CJBGlocation not on record | 4 |
| Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT)location not on record | 3 |
| Baroda, IN | 3 |
| Sevilla, ES | 3 |
| Salamanca, ES | 3 |
| Guilin, CN | 3 |
| Henry Brockhouse Collectionlocation not on record | 3 |
| CASlocation not on record | 3 |
| Sede di Via Giorgio La Pira del Museo di Storia naturale di Firenze | Via Giorgio La Pira headquarter of the Natural History Museum in Florencelocation not on record | 3 |
| Phyletisches Museum Jenalocation not on record | 3 |
| James Cook Townsvillelocation not on record | 3 |
| Zürich, CH | 3 |
| Brisbane, AU | 3 |
| Canberra, AU | 3 |
| Bourges, FR | 2 |
| Uniwersytet Opolskilocation not on record | 2 |
| Granada, ES | 2 |
| JBSlocation not on record | 2 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 2 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 2 |
| Plocation not on record | 2 |
| Nanjing, CN | 2 |
| Adelaide, AU | 2 |
| Dehra Dun, IN | 2 |
| Bern, CH | 2 |
| Miami, US | 1 |
| Bloomington, US | 1 |
| Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisienlocation not on record | 1 |
| EEZA-CSIClocation not on record | 1 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 1 |
| Edinburgh, GB | 1 |
| SNSNMClocation not on record | 1 |
| Boise, US | 1 |
| Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record | 1 |
| PRClocation not on record | 1 |
| Northridge, US | 1 |
| Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| Porrentruy, CH | 1 |
| San Jose, US | 1 |
| Government College University Lahore, Dr. Sultan Ahmad Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 1 |
| Karlsruhe, DE | 1 |
| ISAlocation not on record | 1 |
| MHNAIXlocation not on record | 1 |
| Mexico City, MX | 1 |
| Phoenix, US | 1 |
| Dresden, DE | 1 |
| Oulu, FI | 1 |
| AZE014location not on record | 1 |
| Ilhéus, BR | 1 |
| UFBAlocation not on record | 1 |
| Istituto Agrario Castelnuovolocation not on record | 1 |
| Vitoria, ES | 1 |
| Oskarshamn, SE | 1 |
| Flagstaff, US | 1 |
| Bronx, US | 1 |
| South Kensington, GB | 1 |
| JBCLMlocation not on record | 1 |
| Tilburg, NL | 1 |
| Herbarium of South China Botanical Gardenlocation not on record | 1 |
| Shanghai, CN | 1 |
| Muséum Henri Lecoqlocation not on record | 1 |
| Pondicherry, IN | 1 |
| Uppsala, SE | 1 |
| San Sebastián, ES | 1 |
| San Jose State University, Museum of Birds and Mammalslocation not on record | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Capparis spinosa was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.