| Description |
The caper is a shrubby perennial plant native to the Mediterranean that is cultivated for it's edible flower buds, or capers. It has rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pink flowers. Capers require semi-arid climates. They will die in temperatures below -6 ºC. The flower buds are harvested and pickled and used as seasoning in Mediterranean cuisine. If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a caper berry, which can also be pickled and eaten. Capparis spinosa is most commonly grown, but other Capparis species can also be cultivated for their buds or berries. Capers can be planted from fresh seeds gathered from ripe fruit. If using dried seeds, cold stratify before planting to aid germination and awaken seeds from dormancy. Capers can also be propagated from cuttings, but plants grown from cuttings are more susceptible to drought in the first few years.
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