Cadaba Forssk.

Scientific Description

Family Capparaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs; non-glandular, not resinous. ‘Normal’ plants. Leaves well developed, or absent (not in Australia). Leaves cauline. Stem internodes hollow. Self supporting, or climbing. Xerophytic, or mesophytic. Leaves alternate; spiral, or distichous; petiolate; non-sheathing; gland-dotted, or not gland-dotted; simple, or compound (not in Australian species); ternate (trifoliolate). Leaf blades when simple dissected, or entire; when simple/dissected, palmately lobed; rounded at the base (to acute). Leaves with stipules (sometimes), or without stipules. Stipules spiny (or unarmed). Leaves without a persistent basal meristem. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present; glandular hairs present (unicellular and multicellular). Extra-floral nectaries absent. Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring, or anomalous; via concentric cambia, or from a single cambial ring.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Entomophilous.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers solitary, or aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in racemes, or in corymbs. The terminal inflorescence unit racemose. Inflorescences terminal, or axillary (solitary flowers); usually in racemes. Flowers sessile; bracteate. Bracts deciduous (caducous). Flowers ebracteolate; somewhat irregular; 4 merous. Floral receptacle developing a gynophore, or developing an androphore and developing a gynophore (causing the pistil to project). Hypogynous disk present; of separate members (a ring). Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 8; 2–4 -whorled (more or less resolvable into K2+2 and C4); isomerous. Calyx present; 4 (in 2 whorls); 2 -whorled; polysepalous; imbricate; bilabiate, or regular. Sepals obovate. Corolla present (AKCB), or absent (B); (2–)4; 1 -whorled; alternating with the calyx; polypetalous; imbricate; green (claw), or white (petal). Petals broadly elliptic to orbicular; clawed (long). Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 4–8. Androecial members unbranched; free of the perianth; united with the gynoecium (forming an androgynophore); all equal to markedly unequal; coherent (connate at base). Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens, or including staminodes (or with staminodal branches). Stamens 4–8; not didynamous, not tetradynamous; all more or less similar in shape; isomerous with the perianth to diplostemonous; on summit of torus; filantherous, or petaloid and filantherous. Anthers dorsifixed to basifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Gynoecium 2 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular. Gynoecium transverse. Ovary stipitate (gynophore long). Gynoecium non-stylate (L), or stylate (AB). Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical; shorter than the ovary at anthesis. Stigmas 1. Placentation parietal. Ovules in the single cavity 20–50 (in 2 rows); arillate, or non-arillate; anatropous to campylotropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit fleshy, or non-fleshy; dehiscent, or indehiscent; a capsule, or a berry. Capsules valvular (two leathery valves). Seeds endospermic, or non-endospermic. Cotyledons 2 (oily). Embryo curved, or bent; 1 the length of the seed, or 2 the length of the seed.

Physiology, biochemistry. Mustard-oils present.

Etymology. From the Arabic kadhab; the vernacular name for C. rotundifolia.