Caper 50 Seeds – Capparis – Veggie

The is an useful and beautiful plant in the Caper Family, the Capparidaceae, which also includes Cleome. The caper bush is a native Mediterranean plant with a natural distribution from coastal regions of the entire Mediterranean Sea basin west to the Canary Islands and Morocco. It is thought however that its ancient habitat was the dry areas of Western or Central Asia. One reason for this speculation is the word “caper” itself which comes from the Greek k pparis, whose origin is probably the Near or Middle East. The caper bush grows as a low mounding shrub to 2-3 ft tall with arching red stems and dark green, semi-succulent round leaves. From May until September plants bear a profusion of flower buds, which are the edible capers of commerce. Left unpicked these buds form delicately scented pinkish-white flowers, adorned with long lavender stamens, that open at dawn and close late in the afternoon. The Caper has a long history of being cultivated; capers were noted as being a marketable commodity for the ancient Greeks by Dioscorides and their use was mentioned by the Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. In this several millennia of use a simple rule for cultivation of caper bush has developed, that is to give plants a similarly harsh condition as it would grow in naturally. Caper bushes thrive when planted in lean well drained soil in a hot sunny location with it little or no water. Although appreciative of some summer irrigation in well drained soil, a sure way to kill a caper bush is to over water it. Tip growth can be damaged by temperatures in the mid 20’s degrees F but plants are root hardy down to at least 18 degrees F. A simple rule of thumb is that the caper bush can be planted where the olive tree grows. As an ornamental plant caper bushes can be an attractive loose groundcover, a specimen small shrub or can be used as an espalier, which presents the flower buds well for picking. The caper bush is salt-tolerant and will flourish along shores within sea-spray zones. As flowers are born on first-year branches, one can cut back plants back annually without sacrificing flowering and have a healthier and bushier plant. In colder regions the Caper should be grown in a pot and set outside in the summer and brought inside in the winter. The caper plant is well known for the culinary properties of the caper, the immature flower buds which have been pickled in vinegar or preserved in granular salt. They have long been used in recipes of salads, pasta, meat, sauces and garnishes to add a pungent spicy flavor and aroma to food.