Kingdom: Plantae

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

Superdivision: Spermatophyta

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Cappales

Family: Capparaceae

Genus: Capparis L.

Species:

Capparis

spinosa L.

COMMON NAME: Alcaparras

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Capparis spinosa L.

SYNONYMS/ OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Blumea grandiflora Zipp. Ex Span
Capparis aculeata Steud.
Capparis microphylla Ledeb.
Capparis murrayi Stewart ex Dalz.
Capparis ovais Risso
Capparis ovata Desf.
Capparis peduncularis C.Presl.
Capparis sativa Pers.
Capparis spinosa L.

OTHER COMMON NAME:

Alcapparas (Tag.)
Caper (Engl.)
Caperbush (Engl.)
Common caperbush (Engl.)
Flinders rose (Engl.)
Spiny caperbush (Engl.)

MORPHOLOGY:
 ROOTS
Alcaparras is a dicotyledonous perennial shrub growing to a height
of 1-2 meters, with an extensive root system. Since it has deep,
extensive root systems and can be grown in harsh environments, it
has been recommended for the prevention of land degradation and
soil erosion control.

 LEAVES
Leaves are alternate, thick and shiny, round to ovate.

 FLOWERS
Flowers are solitary, sweetly fragrant and showy, with four sepals
and four while to pinkish-white petals, and many long violet-colored
stamens, and a single stigma rising well above the stamens.

 STEM/BARK
Plant is shrubby and many-branched.

 FRUIT
Fruit is a berry with a thin, leathery to corky pericarp, ellipsoidal, 2.5
to 5 centimeters by 1.3 to 1.5 centimeters, olive green with distinct
ribs.

 SEEDS
Seeds are numerous, subglobose, 4 millimeters in diameter,
embedded in a yellow pulp.

CULTIVATION:
C. spinosa which is an aromatic plant is usually cultivated in tropical
and subtropical regions. Although C. spinosa can be grown in a wide
range of environmental conditions, it is generally grown on sandy loam
soils with low alkalinity.
- Introduced from the Marianas.
- Scattered all over the pacific.
- Cultivated in some localities in Luzon.
- Occasionally cultivated in Manila.
- In Bohol, spontaneous along the seashore.

PROPAGATION:
The most common propagation of C. spinosa is vegetative cuttings.
It can flourish under dry hot conditions in either well-drained or poor soils.
 In addition, C. spinosa is salt tolerant and resistant to drought.

PHYTOCHEMISTRY:
- Roots yielded three new spermidine alkaloids: capparispine,
capparispine 26-O-ß-d-glucoside and cadabicine 26-O-ß-d-glucoside
hydrochloride.
- Fatty acid (%) composition of C. spinosa seeds yielded palmitic 10.23,
stearic 2.61,, oleic 38.45, linoleic 23.75 and linolenic 1.17. (Other studies
show variation in fatty acid composition, which was attributed to
environmental conditions and analytical methods used.)
- Identified bioactive phytochemicals in the plant include terpenoids,
alkaloids, glucosinates, tocopherols, polyprenols, isothiacyanates,
carotenoids and phenolics.
- Preliminary screening of alcoholic extract of aerial parts yielded
alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, tannins, phenolics, flavonoids, and
triterpenoids while an aqueous extract yielded steroids, glycosides,
carbohydrates, flavonoids, and saponins.

MEDICINAL USES:
Fruits: Found to have antidiabetic pharmaceutical effects (models used
are the type 2 diabetic patients, highly glucose tolerant and high fat diet-
fed mice, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Its fruits also have anti-
obesity, cholesterol-lowering, and anti-hypertensive uses.
Leaves: have anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical effects or
uses.
Roots: have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial pharmaceutical uses.
Stem barks and shoots: Antimicrobial pharmaceutical use
Aerial parts: have antimicrobial and antihepatotoxic uses

REFERENCES:

Classification: USDA PLANTS. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2020, from

https://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile

Azhary, K., Jouti, N., Khachibi, M., Mouna Moutia, Imane Tabyaoui, Hou, A., . . .
Abdallah Badou. (n.d.). Alcaparras, Capparis spinosa, CAPER, Ci shan
gan/ Alternative Medicine. Retrieved August 18, 2020, from
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Alcaparras

Ramezani-Gask, M.; Bahrani, M.J.; Shekafandeh, A.; Salehi, H.; Taghvaei, M.;
Al-Ahmadi, M.J. A comparison of different propagation methods of common
caper-bush (Capparis spinosa L.) as a new horticultural crop. Int. J. Plant
Dev. Biol. 2008, 2, 106–110

Zhang, H., & Ma Z.F. (24 January 2018). Phytochemical and Pharmacological
Properties of Capparis spinosa as a Medicinal Plant. Retrieved August 18,
2020, from http://www.mdpi.com