| Limber caper, Bayleaf capertree
|
| Cynophalla flexuosa
|
| Capparaceae
|
Landscape Uses:
|
|
Accent flowering shrub or scandent woody vine. Also useful in buffer plantings. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
|
An occasional element of coastal thickets and hammock margins. |
| Availability: |
|
Available at native plant nurseries in central and South Florida. Available in Key West at Key West Botanical Garden |
| Description: |
| |
Clambering shrub or high climbing woody vine, rarely a small tree. Bark smooth and grayish. Leaves 2-4 inches long, sometimes longer, with orange leaf stems. |
| Height: |
| |
Typically 10-20 feet in height or more. Scrambling and often broader than tall. |
| Growth Rate: |
| |
Moderate. |
| Range: |
| |
Monroe County Keys north along the coasts to Volusia and Collier counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. |
| Habitats: |
| |
Coastal hammocks. |
| Soils: |
| |
Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
| |
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
| |
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
| |
High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
| |
High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
| |
Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
| |
Pink to white. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
| |
Showy, the long stamens to about 1 1/2 inches long. Fragrant, opening in the evening. |
| Flowering Season: |
| |
Spring-summer; peak in summer. |
| Fruit: |
| |
Green capsule, to 6" long, splitting open to expose white seeds imbedded in scarlet pulp. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
| |
Provides food for birds. Larval host plant for Florida white (Appias drusilla) butterflies; occasional larval host for great southern white (Ascia monuste) butterflies. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
| |
Can be grown from seed in a community pot in light shade to full sun. Transplant after first true leaves form. |
| Comments: |
| |
The flowers are more conspicuous than on Jamaica caper (C. cynophallophora). |
|
|
|
George D. Gann in habitat, Dominican Republic, 2011
|
|
|
|