Cadaba is a genus of flowering shrubs belonging to the family Capparaceae, placed in the order Brassicales. It was first described by the Swedish-Finnish botanist Peter Forsskål in his 1775 work Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica, and the genus currently comprises approximately 30 accepted species distributed across Africa and Asia.
The plants are woody shrubs with simple leaves arranged alternately along the stems. Their flowers are zygomorphic — bilaterally symmetrical — and are borne singly or in small clusters at the tips of short lateral branches. Each flower typically has four sepals, and none or four petals; the petals, when present, have a narrow claw at the base widening into a broader blade at the top. A distinctive tube-shaped, nectar-producing appendage is present. The stamens number four or five and are fused for approximately half their length into a structure known as an androgynophore; atop this sits a gynophore that develops into a cylindrical seed capsule. The capsule has one or two cavities packed with numerous small kidney-shaped seeds and splits open along two valves at maturity.
Notable species include Cadaba fruticosa, widespread across tropical Asia and Africa, and Cadaba aphylla, a largely leafless species from southern Africa. Several species, including Cadaba farinosa, have been documented as famine foods in southern Ethiopia, illustrating the genus's role as an emergency nutritional resource for communities in arid regions.
Etymology
The genus name Cadaba derives from the Arabic word kadhab, the local name used for Cadaba rotundifolia. The genus was formally named by Peter Forsskål in his 1775 Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica.
Distribution
Cadaba is distributed across Africa and Asia, with species recorded from southern Africa (C. aphylla, C. natalensis), eastern Africa (C. kirkii, C. termitaria, C. farinosa), Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent (C. fruticosa, C. trifoliata).
Cultural Uses
Some species of Cadaba are used as famine food in southern Ethiopia, providing nutritional resources during periods of food scarcity. Cadaba fruticosa is known in traditional medicine across parts of Asia and Africa.
