Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Online - Capparis pubiflora

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Volume 91/23 2011 Posted: October 2 1, 201 1
Capparis pub iflora var.
perakensis was collected by B.
Scortechini from Kuala Dipang,
Perak, Peninsular Malays ia, and
was first described by King in
1889. In 1922, Ridley raised it to
species rank, as Capparis
perakensis. However, Jacobs
(1960) showed that it is s imilar
to a plant described earlier from
Timor, Indonesia, by de
Candolle in 1824, so both
Capparis pub iflora var.
perakensis and Capparis
perakensis become s ynonyms
of Capparis pub iflora DC.
Capparis pubiflora is quite rare being known from only s even localities, most of them
from limestone hills. The limes tone habitat where it is found is exposed to several
threats, for example, habitat loss from quarrying for limestone and the foothills being
cleared for fruit orchards. It was once collected from Gunung Senyum in 1929 by
Henderson but has never been refound there since, even though the area has been
vis ited frequently. A healthy population, however, was observed during fieldwork to Bukit
Chintamanis, Pahang in 2009 and 2010. For this reason, the Peninsular Malaysian
population of this species is listed as Near Threatened under IUCN cons ervation s tatus
criteria.
This thorny, s traggling shrub branches close to the ground and grows to 3 m tall. The
leafy twigs are densely covered with rusty brown hairs when young, but becom e glabrous
when mature. For the leaves, when young they are pale green and densely covered by
appressed and shining white hairs on both surfaces but later they becom e dark green
and glabrous . The lam ina measuring 13.5-21 × 4-8.5 cm is usually oblanceolate to
elliptic, and is papery to s ubcoriaceous in texture.
Its s pecies nam e 'pubiflora' refers to the flowers that are dens ely hairy including the 7-8
mm-long gynophores which have dens e, white hairs. The 2-5-flowers are arranged in an
axillary clus ter and their s talks are brownish green. The sepals are boat-shaped and
keeled, and ciliate with long, white hairs along the m argin; the outer pairs are covered
with dens e, rusty brown hairs outside, while the inner pairs are covered by dens e, white
hairs except for the outside of the keel. The petals are 6-7.5 m m long and 2-3.5 m m
wide, are white with a yellow patch at the bas e of the upper ones , and turn to purple with
age. The coin-like nectaries are very obvious at the bas e of the upper petals . Nectar is
secreted around noon when it is collected by ants (s ee photo). The stamens range in
num ber from 24 to 32; the filam ents are 1.2-1.5 cm long and the white anthers are 1-1.5
mm long. The ovoid ovary is about 2 mm long, green and densely pubescent. It becomes
glabrous in fruit.
Reference:
Jacobs, M. 1960. Capparidaceae. Flora Malesiana 1, 6: 82.
By Julius, A. (avelinah@frim.gov.my)
Edited by Dr. Ruth Kiew & Dr. E. Soepadmo

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