Shrubs to/or trees (rarely herbaceous in
Capparidastrum humile (Hassl.) X. Cornejo &
H.H. Iltis), glabrous or covered by simple short
trichomes. Leaves simple, spirally arranged,
petioles often of different lengths (frequently not
visible in herbarium specimens), and usually
pul vinate. Inflorescences racemose, usually ter-
minal, rarely cauline ( C.frondosum (Jacq.) X.
Cornejo & H. H. Iltis, in Hispaniola and Brazil),
often with small triangular bracts at or near the
peduncle base. Calyx with open aestivation,
sepals 4, exceeded by the corolla from bud.
Floral nectaries 4, fleshy (subgen. Capparidas-
trum ), rounded, cushion-shaped (subgen.
Pulviniglans X. Cornejo & H. H. Iltis) or
squamiform (subgen. Pachycarpum X. Cornejo
& H. H. Iltis). Petals 4, with aestivation sinie-
strorsely-torsivus, sessile, usually inserted on a
flat receptacle (subgen. Capparidastrum and
Pulviniglans) or often inserted within a hypan-
thium (subgen. Pachycarpum). Stamens 30 to
130, exserted, arranged in alternate whorls on a
hemispheric (when fresh), expanded upper part
of the androphore; pollen tec tate- spinulose or
tectate-perf orate. Ovary with 1 to 4 locules,
often 1- to 4-septate. Fruits pendulous, capsu-
lar, dehiscent by 2 valves (subgen. Capparidas-
trum) to partially into 3 valves (in C.
macrophyllum of subgen. Pulviniglans ), or usu-
ally pepos (subgen. Pulviniglans) or amphisarca
(subgen. Pachycarpum ), oblong, cylindric,
elliptical to spherical, usually rounded at the
apex, with a white or cream fruit wall within, ±
containing a white to cream-colored or rarely
yellow pulp (sometimes scarce and then disin-
tegrating while drying during specimen prepa-
ration); seeds cochleate to reniform, arranged in
two or more rows, testa naked or covered by a
sarcotesta or aril, the embryo usually white or
cream, rarely light yellow (C. frondosum , in
western Ecuador), the cotyledons convolute.
Distribución:
Capparidastrum is a neotropical genus com-
prised of 15 species, ranging from southern
Mexico to northern Argentina, and the West
Indies. It is centered from the lowlands to the
lower slopes at both sides of the Andes of Peru,
Ecuador, and Colombia, where nine species
occur (C. bonifazianum (X. Cornejo & H. H.
Iltis) X. Cornejo & H. H. Iltis, C.frondosum , C.
macrophyllum (Kunth) Hutch., C. osmanthum
(Diels) X. Cornejo & H. H. Iltis, C. pachaca
(Kunth) Hutch., C.petiolare (Kunth) Hutch., C.
quinum (J. F. Macbr.) X. Cornejo & H. H. Iltis,
C. solum (J. F. Macbr.) X. Cornejo & H. H. Iltis,
and C. sprucei (Eichl.) Hutc.).
