About Capparis mitchellii Lindl.
Capparis mitchellii Lindl., commonly called wild orange, is an Australian native plant that grows in dry inland regions of Australia. It is not related to true oranges, nor to the North American Osage-orange which is also called wild orange; instead, it is a relative of capers. Aboriginal Australians have used this species as bush tucker since long before European settlement in Australia. Its fruit is a good source of vitamin C, and can be eaten raw or used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Capparis mitchellii grows as a tall shrub or small tree, reaching up to eight metres in height. Its oval, dull green leaves are between two and six centimetres long. The plant has black, deeply grooved bark, and is very thorny when young. Its large flowers are white or cream-coloured, have long protruding stamens, and each flower only lasts for one day. This species grows in open savannah across drier parts of Australia, and is especially common in inland eastern New South Wales, inland eastern Queensland, and the southern Northern Territory. It prefers soil ranging from sandy to clay loam, but can also grow on rocky hillsides and tolerates limestone soils. It grows in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, where the local Adnyamathanha people use it; a cultural tourism enterprise in the area is named after its local name, Iga Warta.
