Capparis spinosa

Perennial from the Capparaceae family, the spiny caper bush is widely spread throughout the entire Mediterranean basin, from Spain to the Near East and North Africa, where it spontaneously colonizes old walls, fissures in limestone rocks, dry screes, and very sunny arid lands, from sea level up to about 1,000 meters.

It forms sprawling, cascading clumps, sometimes very dense, capable of covering large surfaces of masonry or bare rock. The woody stems at the base are flexible and arched. The leaves are rounded to oval, leathery, with a shiny green to glaucous hue depending on the individuals, with two small stipules at their base transformed into curved spines.

The flowers, solitary and ephemeral, open at dawn and wither within a few hours. They feature four pure white petals slightly tinged with pink, topped with a spectacular cluster of long, thread-like stamens with purple anthers, giving them an almost exotic and very characteristic appearance.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to August. The flower buds harvested before opening, preserved in salt or vinegar, constitute the commercial capers, used in Mediterranean cuisine since Antiquity.

It requires poor, absolutely drained soil, preferably limestone, in full sun, and poorly tolerates prolonged winter frost.