Capparis spinosa subsp. nummularia (DC.) Fici (2003: 117)

Fici, Silvio, 2015, A taxonomic revision of the Capparis spinosa group (Capparaceae) from eastern Africa to Oceania, Phytotaxa 203 (1), pp. 24-36 : 30-31

3. Capparis spinosa subsp. nummularia (DC.) Fici (2003: 117) .

Capparis nummularia Candolle (1824: 246) . Capparis spinosa var. nummularia (DC.) F. M. Bailey (1883: 15) . Capparis nummularia var. typica Domin (1925: 685) . Type: AUSTRALIA. “In Novae-Hollandiae insulis sterilibus”, s.c, s.n. (holotype G-DC, isotypes L, P).

Capparis nummularia Candolle var. minor Domin (1925: 686) . Type: AUSTRALIA. Queensland, Flinders River, near Hughenden, February 1910, Domin s. n. (holotype PR).

Shrub prostrate-spreading, with branches up to 2 m long; young twigs with white-yellowish indumentum, early glabrescent. Stipules thorny, yellowish, recurved, up to 3.5–4 mm long. Leaf-blade orbicular-ovate to elliptic, c. 2– 5x 1.5–4 cm, subcoriaceous, glabrous, rounded at base, apically obtuse or emarginate with a recurved mucro to 2 mm long; petiole 5–10 mm long. Flowers axillary, solitary, zygomorphic; pedicels 2–5 cm long, puberulous or glabrous. Posterior sepal deeply saccate, 1.6–3.3 cm long, 1–2.5 cm deep, other sepals 1.3–2.5 cm long. Petals white, later turning pink-purple, c. 1.5–5 (–6) cm long, 1.3–2.5 cm wide, the upper pair erect, obovate-obdeltoid. Stamens up to c. 180, with filaments 2–3.5 cm long and anthers up to 3.5 mm long. Gynophore 3.5–5 cm long, glabrous; ovary ovoid c. 4–5 x 1.5–2.3 mm. Fruit ellipsoid, dehiscent, c. 2.2–4 x 1.5–2.5 cm, strongly ribbed, green when young, then yelloworange, with yellow pulp; seeds numerous, 2–4 mm long, c. 1.5–2 mm thick, reddish-brown. ( Fig 4 ).

Distribution:— Australia: Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.

Habitat:— Dry river-beds, banks, open plains, bare ground, depressions and roadsides; on a variety of soils lying on sandstone, quartzites, lava, limestone, etc.; along the coast of Western Australia mainly on coral outcrops. c. 0–950 m.

Phenology:— Flowering November–August. Noctiflorous ( Fici 2003).

Notes:— This subspecies is endemic to Australia, where it is widespread in the tropical arid and semiarid regions between c. 14° and 28° latitude S. A remarkable gap in its distribution between the western coast and the area of Alice Springs was explained by St. John (1965) by the extremely dry conditions of this area. This taxon was firstly described as an autonomous species by Candolle (1824) and later reduced to a variety of Capparis spinosa by Bailey (1883). Apart from St. John (1965), who treated this taxon as an autonomous species, during the last century it has been mostly regarded as a variety C. spinosa . Due to its differential characters and geographic isolation, the subspecific rank was recently proposed ( Fici 2003). Subsp. nummularia is differentiated from subsp. cordifolia , widespread in the Pacific, by the thorny recurved stipules, and the shorter, glabrous gynophore.

This taxon is clearly isolated from all the other Australian representatives of the genus Capparis , mostly occurring in rainforest habitats ( Beadle 1981). Jacobs (1960, 1965) hypothesized that C. spinosa was introduced by man in Australia, as well as in the Pacific. This opinion was later refused by various authors (St. John 1965, Pedley 1981, Hnatiuk 1990, Wheeler 1992), who regarded the populations from these areas as autochthonous.

Uses:— The ripe fruit, called “arrutnenge”, is eaten by aboriginals while the plant is recorded as a useful stock fodder ( Jacobs 1965, Hewson 1982).

Specimens examined:— AUSTRALIA. Queensland, Burke District, 2 Km NE of Hughenden, 08 February 1983 Telford & Butler 9494 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Queensland, 5 mile Bore, Carandotta Station , 13 May 1948, Perry 813 ( MEL, NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Queensland, c. 20 miles SE of Kynuna , 16 August 1967, Briggs 1177 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Queensland, Hughenden , 12 May 1898, Christolm s.n. ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Boulia , no date, Bailey s.n. ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. West Queensland, no date, s.c. ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Queensland, 29 Km NE of Hughenden, 24 April 1985, Rodd & Hardie 4544 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Queensland, Toomba Station , 26 July 1989, Blaxell, Johnson & D’Aubert 89/079 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Nouvelle-Hollande, Côte occidentale, 1801, Baudin s. n. (P) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Dirk Hartog Island , February 1859, Clifton s. n. ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Dampier’ Archipelago , 1875, Walcott s. n. ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Shark Bay , 1896, Logue s. n. ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Red Hill Station , 31 August 1970, Beard 6165 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Port Malcott , no date, von Mueller s.n. ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Millstream , 90 miles NW of Wittenoam, 24 September 1969, Brooker 2083 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Western Australia, Shark Bay , 20 March 2001, Calvo s.n. ( PAL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Simpson’s gap, Alice Springs Distr. , 27 November 1961, Mikee 8651 ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, S Alice Springs , 25 March 1959, Chippendale s.n., ( NSW) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Todd river, Heavitree Gap to past racecourse, 09 March 1999, Mooney s.n. ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Anna’s Resvoir Reserve , 02 March 1998, Albrecht & Gaskon 8267 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Alice Springs, Ormistan Gorge , 22 August 1998, Michell & Risler 1856 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Desert Park , 12 July 1996 Hersfall 91 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, south-side Simpson’s Gap , 23 April 1995, Howard s.n. ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Trephina Gorge Nature Park , 04 May 1994, Cawood s.n. ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Simpson Gap , 03 February 1995, Edwards s.n. ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Bauhinia Bore, Mellapunyah , 15 June 1992, Martin s.n. ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Walsh Creek , 24 April 1968, Robinson 49 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, 5 Km WSW Ross River Resort, 20 November 1991, Letz 12316 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Alice Springs , 12 April 1988, Barritt 263 ( NT) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Todd River at Heavitree Gap, ca. 2 miles S. of Alice Springs , 17 July 1966, Willis s. n. ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, S. W. Alice Springs , 31 January 1955, Chippendale 775 ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Ellexy Creek, Mac Donnell Ranges , 11 July 1965, Beauglehole s. n. ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Emily Gap , 14 July 1967, Beauglehole 23680 ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Heavitree Range, Ormiston Gorge , 09 June 1974, Carr 1531 & Beauglehole ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Victoria River District, Jasper Gorge , 03 July 1974, Carr 2822 & Beauglehole ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, 25 km ENE Santa Teresa , 31 August 1995, Latz 14511 ( MEL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, Honeymoon gap, 31 May 2002, Fici s.n. ( PAL) ; AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory, road to Simpson gap, 5 June 2002, Fici s.n. ( PAL) .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Capparis spinosa subsp. nummularia. A. Fertile branch. B. Fruit. C. Plant in natural habitat (Northern Territory).