Cynophalla is a genus of flowering shrubs and small trees in the family Capparaceae (the caper family), order Brassicales. Native to the Americas, species range from the southeastern United States and the West Indies through Mexico and Central America to Argentina, favouring coastal scrub, dry forests, and disturbed lowland habitats.
Plants in the genus are typically multi-stemmed shrubs or small trees reaching 2–4 metres in height. The flowers are white to pink with slender petals, and the fruits are elongated, cylindrical capsules that split open when ripe to reveal numerous seeds embedded in bright-pink pulp — a trait characteristic of the caper family. The best-known member, Cynophalla flexuosa (the bay-leaved caper or limber caper), blooms in early to mid summer and is widely distributed across coastal Caribbean and Neotropical regions.
Cynophalla has experienced considerable taxonomic instability: its species were historically placed in Capparis, and some authorities now treat the genus as synonymous with or subsumed within Morisonia. The circumscription has been revised to incorporate New World Capparis species as part of broader reclassification within Capparaceae.
Distribution
Cynophalla species occur throughout the Americas, from the southeastern United States (including Florida) and the West Indies south through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean to Argentina. Cynophalla flexuosa in particular is characteristic of coastal and lowland habitats across this range.
Taxonomy Notes
Cynophalla has a complex taxonomic history. Species were long placed in Capparis, and the genus has been treated as synonymous with Morisonia by some authors following a broader reorganisation of New World Capparaceae. The genus sits in family Capparaceae, order Brassicales.
