Caperberry in Hebrew means " provocative of desire". This is a reference to its use as an aphrodisiac. Immature fruit of the caper berry is taken from the plant for its uses. It grows in clefts of rocks and walls. Ecclesiastes 12:5 says the caper will be ineffective and that "desire shall fade". This passage reminds us of the loss of intensity of the senses in advanced age, most notably taste and appetite. Caper was taken as a stimulant to these senses.
The plant grows in a trailing fashion. The flower appears in May and is pure white. The blossoms are 2-3 inches across and have deep rose colored filaments with golden tips and one singular green pistil in the center. Spinosa refers to the leaf's spiny shape.
Capers are still pickled with vinegar as an appetizer. The plant also bears a large edible berry that is about 2 1/2 inches long.
Ecclesiastes 12:5 (KJV) Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
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