Capparis species

[Mithral]

Hello, I'm new to the site and am glad that I have found it.
I grow a variety of native food plants as well as growing food plants for butterflies.
The caper butterfly lives on capparis and I would like to get some plants growing to add to my collection.
I found a bare bush in Adelaide Botanic Gardens covered in hatching butterflies.
Under the plant were pellet shaped conglomerates that looked as if they were made of seed.
I broke one open and it was all seeds.
I brought one home with me and want to know if you think the complete seeds might grow?
The plant was about 1m high and 600mm wide but bare and dead looking.

[roughbarked]

Many Capparis species are apparently leafless.

The seeds you found should grow yes.

[stru]

just wondering if anyone still had any seed left??

[Mithral]

Sorry Stru, my seeds did not germinate.

[roughbarked]

Did you keep the pot you sowed them in intact?
Tip; don't throw it away. Some seeds take a long time to germinate.

[Mithral]

Thanks roughbark, I often don't wait long enough, then I get other plants coming up as well from a previous planting. Then I have to grow it on and hope I can identify it -- makes for some nice surprises.

[roughbarked]

Well at least if you keep pots and labels you should have an idea what it is.

If you toss it over there and it germinates anyway.. you may weed it out before you realise what it is.

[Mithral]

I have some difficulties with labels a times, I'm not sure what takes them, but I go through periods when they travel and I find them on the ground some where else, could be kookaburras, they are destructive little buggers when they are bored, especially the young ones. So I only weed out plants that I recognise as weeds. That still has its problems eg. wild tobacco and ornamental tobacco look the same but its a start. Started using plastic knives as labels as they have a longer stem and more surface area to hold on with, I recycle them.

[roughbarked]

I used a pair of tinsnips and cut up whole venetian blinds as labels.

[Mithral]

That's a good idea roughbark, my 'slimline' venetians are mouldy after a very wet season - I'll put them on notice.

I planted some seeds from my grasstree a couple of weeks ago and they are up and are thick. I'm looking forward to growing them up to plant here in the gardens. The last ones That I grew are about 10 yrs old now and are stunning. I'm not planning on feasting on them tho.

[roughbarked]

plastic knives idea is good if you buy a lot of takeaways. I got the venetian blinds from the rubbish tip.

Another tip. Ordinary pencil lasts longer on labels than most other things.