Capparis cartilagineaDesert Caper

The Capparis cartilaginea, commonly known as the Desert Caper, is a sprawling, scrambling shrub of the rocky slopes, cliffs and wadi walls of Arabia and north east Africa. It carries thick, rounded, leathery grey-green leaves and large, short-lived white flowers with a spectacular brush of long pink to purple stamens.

It roots into rock crevices and cascades over the face, which makes it unusually useful on retaining walls, rock cuttings and steep embankments. It is used for slope and wall planting, native restoration on rocky ground and feature flowering.

Specifications

• Height0.5 to 2 metres, sprawling or cascading rather than upright
• Width2 to 4 metres
• Native toThe Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Egypt and north east Africa
• FoliageThick, rounded, leathery grey-green leaves on stout trailing stems; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained rocky, gravelly or shallow soils; roots readily into crevices and dislikes heavy wet ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; strongly drought-tolerant once rooted into rock or deep gravel
• ClimateThrives in hot arid and semi-arid regions with intense summer heat and reflected radiation

Additional Features

• FlowersLarge white flowers with a long brush of pink to purple stamens, opening at night and lasting a single day
• FruitOval fruit ripening to split and reveal red pulp, taken by birds and desert mammals
• UsesRetaining wall, rock cutting and steep embankment planting, native restoration on rocky ground, feature flowering
• SpacingPlant 2 to 3 metres apart along a wall or slope for continuous cascading cover
• Low MaintenanceRequires no routine care; cut back only where it encroaches on access
• Pest ResistanceRobust with no significant recurring pest or disease problems
• Drought ToleranceVery high, holding evergreen foliage on bare rock through the Arabian summer
• Erosion ControlRoots into rock crevices and holds shallow soil on steep faces
• Wildlife AttractionNight-opening flowers are pollinated by moths and bats, and the fruit is taken by birds

The Desert Caper is the plant for a rock face, and its flowers are among the most striking in the Arabian flora.