Capparis
(kapparis, old Greek name used by Dioscorides, from Persian kabar, Capers). Caper-tree. ORD. Capparideae. Greenhouse or stove evergreen shrubs, of considerable beauty. Calyx four-parted; petals four; stamens numerous; succeeded by a berry. They thrive best in a compost of well-drained sandy loam. Cuttings of ripe shoots will root in sand, under a hand glass, in moist heat. This genus contains about 120 species, but it is very doubtful if more than six are to be found under cultivation in this country. C. amygdalina (Almond-like).* fl. white; peduncles axillary, compressed, corymbiferous. l. elliptical-oblong, narrowed towards both ends, with a callous point; upper surface smooth; under surface, as well as the branches, covered with silvery scaly dots. h. 6ft. West Indies, 1818. Stove. C. cynophallophora (Dog-phallus bearing). fl. white, large, fragrant; peduncles few-flowered, shorter than the leaves. l. smooth, leathery, oblong, on short petiole. h. 8ft. to 25ft. West Indies, 1752. Stove. (R. G. 1862, 351.) C. odoratissima (sweetest-scented).* fl. violet, sweet-scented, about the size of Myrtle, with yellow anthers; peduncles racemiferous at the top. l. oblong, acuminate, on long footstalks; upper surface smooth; under surface covered with little hard scales. h. 6ft. Caraccas, 1814. Stove. C. spinosa (spiny).* Common Caper. fl. white, tinged with red on the outside; pedicels solitary, one-flowered. June. l. ovate, roundish, deciduous. h. 3ft. South Europe, 1596. This is an excellent greenhouse shrub, and one which we have found perfectly hardy in the southern counties of England. (B. M. 291.)