Capparis spinosa – Common Caper seed x 15

The Common Caper is a very variable shrub always growing near other Caper shrubs. It is a native of the Mediterranean region where it grows on rocky coastal areas and walls.

A many-branched small shrub growing 1m x 1m (3ft x 3ft) that bears leaves that are thick, glossy, alternate and round to ovate in shape. The flowers are complete, showy and sweetly fragrant, with four sepals and four white to pinkish-white petals, many violet- coloured stamens and a single stigma. The fruit is an orange-yellow, elliptical berry with sweet flesh and containing many black seeds. Both buds and berries are usually eaten pickled.

Capers are an important ingredient in Italian cooking and give dishes a distinctive flavour, but capers are not exclusive to Italian food and are consumed by most Mediterranean communities.

Caper plants prefer a position in full sun and a warm, temperate climate.