Capparaceae

Capparaceae
Caper (Capparis spinosa)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Capparaceae Juss.
Genera
See text.

Capparaceae (or Capparidaceae), commonly known as the Caper family, is a family of plants in order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, it contains 33 genera and about 700 species. The largest genera are Capparis (about 150 species), Maerua (~100 species), Boscia (37 species) and Cadaba (30 species).

The family had long been considered to be closely related to and has been included in the mustard family, Brassicaceae (APG, 1998), in part because both groups produce glucosinolate (mustard oil) compounds. Subsequent molecular studies (Hall et al., 2002, 2008) support that Capparaceae s.s. is paraphyletic with respect to Brassicaceae and must be considered a separate family. However Cleome and several related genera are more closely related to Brassicaceae than to Capparaceae. These genera are now either placed in Brassicaceae (as subfam. Clemoideae) or segregated into Cleomaceae. Several more genera of the traditional Capparaceae are more closely related to other members of the Brassicales, and the relationships of several more remain unresolved (Hall et al. 2004). Based on morphological grounds and supported by molecular studies the American species traditionally identified as Capparis have been transferred to resurrected old generic names and several new genera have been recently described (Cornejo & Iltis 2006, 2008a-e; Iltis & Cornejo, 2007; Hall, 2008).

Genera

Anisocapparis Cornejo & H.H.Iltis Apophyllum F.Muell. Bachmannia Pax Belencita H.Karst. Borthwickia W.W.Sm. Boscia Lam. Buchholzia Engl. Cadaba Forssk. Calanthea (DC.) Miers Capparicordis Iltis & Cornejo Capparidastrum (DC.) Hutch.

Capparis L. Cladostemon A.Braun & Vatke Colicodendron Mart. Crateva L. Cynophalla J.Presl Dhofaria A.G.Mill. Dipterygium Decne. Euadenia Oliv. Hispaniolanthus Cornejo & H.H.Iltis Maerua Forssk. Mesocapparis (Eichl.) Cornejo & H.H.Iltis

Monilicarpa Cornejo & H.H.Iltis Morisonia L. Neocalyptrocalyx Hutch. Neothorelia Gagnep. Poilanedora Gagnep. Puccionia Chiov. Quadrella J.Presl Ritchiea R.Br. ex G.Don Sarcotoxicum Cornejo & H.H.Iltis Steriphoma Spreng. Thilachium Lour.

Excluded genera

• Cleome L. -> Cleomaceae
• Cleomella DC. -> Cleomaceae
• Dactylaena Schrad. ex Schult.f. -> Cleomaceae
• Forchhammeria Liebm. -> Stixaceae
• Haptocarpum Ule -> Cleomaceae
• Koeberlinia Zucc. -> Koeberliniaceae
• Oceanopapaver Guillaumin -> Malvaceae sensu lato, subfamily Grewioideae or Tiliaceae, as synonym of Corchorus L.
• Oxystylis Torr. & Frem. -> Cleomaceae
• Pentadiplandra Baill. -> Pentadiplandraceae
• Physena Noronha ex Thouars -> Physenaceae
• Podandrogyne Ducke -> Cleomaceae
• Polanisia Raf. -> Cleomaceae
• Stixis Lour. -> Stixaceae
• Tirania Pierre -> Stixaceae
• Wislizenia Engelm. -> Cleomaceae

Additional genera to be excluded from Capparaceae, according to Kers in Kubitzki

1. Genera that may be capparalean but do not fit within Capparaceae

• Neothorelia Gagnep.

2. Genera that are insufficiently known but whose descriptions indicate that they cannot belong to Capparaceae

• Borthwickia W.W.Sm.
• Keithia Spreng.
• Poilanedora Gagnep.

3. Genera not treated in Kubitzki, but usually regarded as Capparaceae

• Buhsia Bunge
• Niebuhria DC.

Further reading

• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2006. New combinations in Capparaceae sensu stricto for Flora of Ecuador. Harvard Pap. Bot. 11(1): 17--18.
• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2008a. Two new genera of Capparaceae: Sarcotoxicum and Mesocapparis stat. nov., and the reinstatement of Neocalyptrocalyx. Harvard Pap. Bot. 13(1): 103-116.
• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2008b. New combinations in South American Capparaceae. Harvard Pap. Bot. 13(1): 117-120.
• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2008c. Anisocapparis y Monilicarpa: dos nuevos géneros de Capparaceae de América del Sur. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 2(1): 61-74.
• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2008d. The reinstatement of Capparidastrum. Harvard Pap. Bot. 13(2): 229-236.
• Cornejo, X. & H. H. Iltis. 2008e. A revision of Colicodendron Mart. (Capparaceae s.s.). J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas, 2(1): 75-93.
• Everitt, J.H.; Lonard, R.L., Little, C.R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press.  ISBN 0-89672-614-2
• Hall, J. C., K. J. Sytsma and H. H. Iltis. 2002. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae based on chloroplast sequence data. American Journal of Botany 89: 1826-1842 (abstract here).
• Hall, J. C., H. H. Iltis and K. J. Sytsma. 2004. Molecular phylogenetics of core Brassicales, placement of orphan genera Emblingia, Forchhammeria, Tirania, and character evolution. Systematic Botany 29: 654-669 (abstract here).
• Hall, J. C. 2008. Systematics of Capparaceae and Cleomaceae: an evaluation of the generic delimitations of Capparis and Cleome using plastid DNA sequence data. Botany 86: 682--696.
• Iltis, H. H. & Cornejo, X. 2007. Studies in the Capparaceae XXX. Capparicordis, a new genus from the Neotropics. Brittonia 59: 246--254.
• Kers, L. E. 2003. Capparaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (Series Editor):The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Vol.5: K. Kubitzki & C. Bayer (Volume Editors).Springer-Verlag Berlin, 36-56. ISBN 3-540-42873-9
• Takhtajan, A. 1997. Diversity and classification of flowering plants. ISBN 0-231-10098-1

External links

• Capparaceae, in Neotropikey
• Capparaceae, in Flowering Plants of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.
• Photos at University of Hawaii site
• Capparaceae, as Capparidaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).
• Family Capparaceae flowers in Israel