Caper bush (Capparis spinosa) blooms during the summer months, producing spectacular white flowers several centimetres across, each bearing a dense tuft of long stamens.  The whole flower looks like a beautiful explosion!

Sadly, the blooms last less than a day and by early afternoon start to collapse and turn pink, then purple. So, you need to visit the plant in the morning to see the flowers at their best.

In amongst the flowers you might see the inflated triangular ribbed buds for future flowers. The buds might remind you, rightly, of the pickled capers that are used in cooking. Those come from a closely related small-fruited caper plant from the Mediterranean basin.

The Australian caper bush is scattered across much of northern Australia. In Western Australia it occurs along the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne coasts; it also grows widely in the Pilbara interior. In Kings Park, you can find it beside the Botanic Garden path, growing beneath the mallee gums near the John Forrest sign.

February 2024

image