Capparis brevispina

Capparis brevispina is a large, straggling and deciduous climbing shrub. It is armed with thorny stipules.

The bark of Capparis brevispina is smooth, light-brown coloured and longitudinally fissured on old branches.
The young branchlets are green in colour.
The stems and branches show straight stipular spines, sometime in pairs at the lefa base.
 

The leaves of Capparis brevispina grow alternately on the stem (spirally arranged).
The leaf is simple, bright green-coloured above and paler beneath. The leaf is coriaceous, chartaceous and glabrous on both sides.
The leaves have a 4-5 mm long petiole.
The leaf of Capparis brevispina is 6-8 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The shape of the blade is elliptic or ovate, the apex is acute-acuminate, the base is cuneate and the margins are entire.
The venation of the leaf is reticulate with a prominent midrib.
There is a pair of straight stipular spines at the base of the leaves and singular spines along the branch.

The flowers of Capparis brevispina are axillary and solitary. The peduncle is 3 cm long and slightly pubescent.
The calyx is composed of 4 sepals. The sepals are pubescent, ovate, concave and 8 mm long and 4 mm wide.
The corolla is composed of 4 cream-coloured petals. The petals are ovate-oblong, 2.5-3 cm long and about 1 cm wide. The 2 upper petals have a showy yellow (turning red) blotch at the base.
The androecium is composed of numerous and showy stamens. The filaments are filiform, 2.5 cm long. The anthers are light-blue, oblong and 2 mm long.
The pistil is composed of a filiform and 3 cm long gynophore bearing a 6 mm long ovary and a short and stout style with a simple stigma at the tip.

The fruit of Capparis brevispina is a smooth berry. 
It is oblong in shape, about 6 cm long and 3 cm wide.
The fruit is green turning red when ripe.

The seeds of Capparis brevispina are immersed in the white creamy pulp of the red ripe berry. 
The seeds are less than 0.5 cm in size and numerous inside each fruit.
They are coated with opaque-transparent sticky jelly.
They are brown in colour when washed and dry.

The fruit pickle of Capparis brevispina is used to cure digestive complaints. (Source : http://www.plantekey.com/)