Genus Capparis Rank Species | ||
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Similar Capparis arborea, Capparis lasiantha, Capparis cynophallophora, Capparis fascicularis, Capparis sandwichiana | ||
The wild orange is an Australian native plant throughout Australia. Its scientific name is Capparis mitchellii. It was named by botanist John Lindley. It is also known as the native orange. Its name in the Arrernte language of Central Australia is merne atwakeye. It is not related to oranges and neither to the Osage-orange which is known as "wild orange" in North America, but to capers.
Capparis mitchellii can grow up to six metres in height with leaves between two and six centimetres in length. The plant's flowers are large and coloured white or cream. It prefers sandy to clay loams but will grow on rocky hillsides.
Fruit
Wild oranges are a tasty bush tucker food. Indigenous Australians made frequent use of it long before European arrival. It is green when unripe. When it ripens, it becomes soft and has a fragrant smell. The inside is yellow or orange. It is still commonly eaten in the desert today.
The fruit often suffers from caper white butterfly larvae infestation. It is one of the preferred foods of the spotted bowerbird.
