Scientific Name: Capparis Canescens
Common Name: Wild Orange
Dungidau Name: Darum (Winterbotham)
Indigenous Use
Fruit picked before it was nearly ripe then buried for one day, then very sweet.
When to Use
The fruit of Capparis canescens typically ripens from late summer to autumn, becoming edible after turning orange (Paten Park Native Nursery, 2024).
Identification
Leaves: The leaves of Capparis canescens are broadly elliptic to obovate, measuring 4.5-10 cm in length and 2.5-6 cm in width. They have an obtuse, acute, or mucronate apex, and are mostly glabrous. The base of the leaves is acute to wedge-shaped, with a flat midrib and 4-7 pairs of veins. The petiole is 1-4 cm long (PlantNET, 2024).
Bark: The bark of Capparis canescens is typically rough and grey, becoming more fissured as the tree ages. Young branches are often covered with dense, short, appressed hairs and may have spines that are 6-10 mm long, although these are reduced or absent on flowering branches (PlantNET, 2024).
Flowers: The flowers are white or pink, solitary or in pairs, and appear in the axils of the uppermost leaves. Each flower is supported by a pedicel 3-10 cm long. The sepals are 16-23 mm long, with the outer pair being hairy and the inner pair glabrous. The petals are about 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, glabrous or woolly at the base. The stamens number between 85 and 160, with a gynophore that is 6.5-8 cm long (PlantNET, 2024).
Fruit: The fruit of Capparis canescens is a globose drupe, ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 cm in diameter. The surface of the fruit is variable, and it turns orange when ripe. The fruit contains several seeds, with the axis through the attachment being 7-9 mm long. (Paten Park Native Nursery, 2024).
Ecosystems
Found in the below ecosystem/s.
Rainforests: Sub-tropical rainforests usually consist of three strata of trees with up to 60 species making up the canopy, many with large leaves. Palms and strangler figs are common and the undergrowth is luxuriant with many epiphytic or terrestrial ferns and orchids and abundant large climbers of many species. In Queensland, rainforests can be found in well-known locations like the Daintree Rainforest, Lamington National Park, and Mary Caincross Park.
References
PlantNET – FloraOnline. (2024). Capparis canescens. Available at: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Capparis~canescens [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Paten Park Native Nursery. (2024). Capparis canescens. Available at: https://ppnn.org.au/plantlist/capparis-canescens/ [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Leiper, G., Glazebrook, J., Cox, D., & Rathie, K., 2008. Mountain to Mangroves: A Field Guide to the Native Plants of South-east Queensland. Logan River Branch, Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Winterbotham papers (Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland)
North Queensland Plants, 2024. Capparis canescens. Available at: http://www.northqueenslandplants.com/Australian%20Plant%20Families%20A-F/Capparaceae/Capparis/Capparis%20canescens.html