Taxobox
name = "Capparaceae"
image_caption = "Capparis spinosa" (Caper)
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Brassicales
familia = Capparaceae
familia_authority = Juss.
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = See text.
Capparaceae (or Capparidaceae), commonly known as the Caper family, is a family of plants in order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, it contains 16 genera and about 480 species. The largest genera are "Capparis" (about 250 species), "Maerua" (~100 species), "Boscia" (37 species) and "Cadaba" (30 species).
As traditionally circumscribed, Capparaceae contained 28 genera and about 700 species. The family had long been considered to be closely related to the mustard family Brassicaceae, in part because both groups produce glucosinolate (mustard oil) compounds. In 2002, research (Hall et al. 2002) produced evidence that Capparaceae as traditionally circumscribed is paraphyletic with respect to Brassicaceae. Because of this, the two families were combined under the latter name in the APG II system. However research since then suggests that the families are distinct except that "Cleome" and several related genera are more closely related to Brassicaceae than to Capparaceae. These genera are now either placed in Brassicaceae or segregated into Cleomaceae. Several more genera of the traditional Capparaceae are more closely related to other members of the Brassicales, and the relationships of several more remain unresolved (Hall et al. 2004).
;Genera included in Kubitzki system
*"Apophyllum" F.Muell.
*"Atamisquea" Miers ex Hook. & Arn.
*"Bachmannia" Pax
*"Belencita" H.Karst.
*"Boscia" Lam.
*"Buchholzia" Engl.
*"Cadaba" Forssk.
*"Capparis" L.
*"Cladostemon" A.Braun & Vatke
*"Crateva" L.
*"Cristatella" Nutt.
*"Dhofaria" A.G.Mill.
*"Dipterygium" Decne.
*"Euadenia" Oliv.
*"Isomeris" Nutt.
*"Maerua" Forssk.
*"Morisonia" L.
*"Puccionia" Chiov.
*"Ritchiea" R.Br. ex G.Don
*"Steriphoma" Spreng.
*"Thilachium" Lour.
;Genera included in Kubitzki system, but transferred to Cleomaceae[Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?267 Cleomaceae] ] ]
*"Cleome" L.
*"Cleomella" DC.
*"Dactylaena" Schrad. ex Schult.f.
*"Haptocarpum" Ule
*"Oxystylis" Torr. & Frem.
*"Podandrogyne" Ducke
*"Polanisia" Raf. (not listed by Kubitzki)
*"Wislizenia" Engelm.;Genera to be excluded from Capparaceae, according to Kers in Kubitzki;;1.Genera that may be capparalean but do not fit within Capparaceae
*"Forchhammeria" Liebm.
*"Neothorelia" Gagnep.
*"Stixis" Lour.
*"Tirania" Pierre;;2.Genera that are insufficiently known but whose descriptions indicate that they cannot belong to Capparaceae
*"Borthwickia" W.W.Sm.
*"Keithia" Spreng.
*"Poilanedora" Gagnep.;;3.Genera placed in other families
*"Koeberlinia" Zucc. in Koeberliniaceae
*"Pentadiplandra" Baill. in Pentadiplandraceae
*"Oceanopapaver" Guillaumin in Malvaceae sensu lato, subfamily Grewioideae or Tiliaceae, as synonym of "Corchorus" L.
*"Physena" Noronha ex Thouars in Physenaceae;;4.Genera not treated in Kubitzki, but usually regarded as Capparaceae
*"Buhsia" Bunge
*"Niebuhria" DC.
References
Further reading
* ISBN 0-89672-614-2
*Hall, J. C., K. J. Sytsma and H. H. Iltis. 2002. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae based on chloroplast sequence data. "American Journal of Botany" 89: 1826-1842 (abstract [http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/11/1826 here] ).
*Hall, J. C., H. H. Iltis and K. J. Sytsma. 2004. Molecular phylogenetics of core Brassicales, placement of orphan genera "Emblingia", "Forchhammeria", "Tirania", and character evolution. "Systematic Botany" 29: 654-669 (abstract [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aspt/sb/2004/00000029/00000003/art00012 here] ).
*Kers, L. E. (2003). Capparaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (Series Editor):"The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants", Vol.5: K. Kubitzki & C. Bayer (Volume Editors).Springer-Verlag Berlin, 36-56. ISBN 3-540-42873-9
* Takhtajan, A. (1997). "Diversity and classification of flowering plants". ISBN 0-231-10098-1
External links
* [http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/cappar.htm Photos at University of Hawaii site]
* [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/capparid.htm Capparaceae, as Capparidaceae] in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards).
* [http://www.flowersinisrael.com/FamCapparaceae.html Family Capparaceae] Flowers in Israel
