Capparis fascicularis

This species has multiple synonyms. The species is said to comprise three varieties, but four are listed:^[1]

• Capparis fascicularis DC. var. fascicularis (1824)
• Capparis fascicularis var. zeyheri (Turcz.) Toelken (1824)
• Capparis fascicularis var. elaeagnoides (Gilg) DeWolf (1824)
• Capparis fascicularis var. scheffleri (Gilg & Gilg-Ben.) DeWolf (1824)

Occurs from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga,^[3] Limpopo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.^[4] The range extends further to East Africa, Ethiopia, and across northern Nigeria, Niger and the Gambia.^[5] This species generally occurs in deciduous bushland and thickets, grassland with scattered trees, upland dry evergreen and riverine forest, and sometimes on termite-mounds.^[1] Var. fascicularis is found in dry bushveld^[2] or dry deciduous woodland in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini.^[6] Var. zeyheri is found in forest, bushveld and woodland near the coast in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, South Africa.^[2] Var. elaeagnoides is found in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and the Gambia.^[7]

A scrambling shrub or climber, usually with hooked spines on the stem.^[3] Two varieties are known in South Africa; var. fascicularis (zigzag caper-bush) and var. zeyheri (coast zigzag caper-bush).^[2] The most notable difference between these two varieties is that var. fascicularis has indented (notched^[2]) leaf-tips whereas var. zeyheri has pointed leaf-tips. The spines on the coast zigzag caper-bush are usually reduced or absent.^[2][3] The fragrant flowers are whitish^[2] and produced on leafless side branchlets which resemble spikes or racemes.^[8] The fruit are spherical and 6–15 mm in diameter, ripening to purple-black.^[8]

The leaves are sold as food in markets of northern Nigeria.^[5]

Capparis fascicularis is the larval foodplant of the butterflies Belenois creona and Eronia cleodora.^[9]