Larval Host Plant
Other notes
Natural History: Native Climbing Shrub.
It is a climbing shrub native to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The stem is armed with two types of thorns: some are recurved, while others are straight and acicular. The leaves are rounded to oblong with a cordate leaf base and an acute apex. Flowers resembling typical capers are showy, white, with numerous long stamens, and clustered at the branch ends. The fruits are small, round berries that become purple upon ripening. Flowering season is from January to April, while fruiting occurs from August to October (Flowers of India 2024; Maurya et al. 2020).
Notes: This plant has been recorded as a new larval host for Cepora nerissa – Common Gull by Hemant Ogale from Sindhudurg, Maharashtra in 2011. (Note added on 11 Feb 2023)
Vernacular Names: Marathi: Kolisma (कोळीस्मा) (Flowers of India 2024; Maurya et al. 2020).
References:
Flowers of India (2024): Round Leaf Caper. Accessed on 28 Feb 2024. URL: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Round%20Leaf%20Caper.html.
Maurya, S., M. N. Datar, and R. K. Choudhary. (2020). The Genus Capparis L. in India. MACS - Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India. URL: https://g.co/kgs/bkvbBkM.
Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. (2018). Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10(4):11495–11550. DOI: 10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550.
WFO (2024): Capparis rotundifolia Rottler. Accessed on 28 Feb 2024. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000585079.
Page citation
Ogale, H. and N. Kawthankar 2024. Capparis rotundifolia Rottler – Round Leaf Caper. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/capparis-rotundifolia, accessed 2024/04/28.