Herbs, shrubs, climbers or trees, glabrous or hairy; hairs sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, petiolate, simple, or dissected or compound, sometimes heteroblastic; stipules spiny or absent. Inflorescence racemose, terminal or lateral; bracts small, caducous or absent. Flowers actinomorphic, sometimes slightly zygomorphic, bisexual, except Apophyllum. Sepals 4, rarely 2, in two whorls, equal or unequal, the outer whorl free or fused. Petals 4, rarely 2, equal, free. Stamens 1 to many, free, sometimes connate at base and adnate to gynophore; anthers bilocular, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Receptacle sometimes with nectariferous glands. Ovary superior, 2–6-carpellate, 1–3-locular, sessile or usually on a gynophore; stigma simple, sessile; ovules 1 to many; placentation parietal. Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds 1 to many, mostly coiled-reniform; embryo curved or coiled; testa smooth or sculptured, with or without aril.

A family of c. 45 genera and c. 700 species, in tropical and subtropical regions, few penetrating into arid zones. In Australia 5 genera (one endemic) with 30 species (20 endemic, 6 native and 4 naturalised).

[Treatment requires revision to reconcile more recent taxonomic concepts, including recognition of Cleomaceae - Editor, 6 August 2024.]

Bentham, G. (1863). Capparideae, Flora Australiensis 1: 89–98. (L. Reeve & Co.: London).

Cooper, W. & Cooper, W.T. (2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. (Nokomis Editions: Melbourne).

Green, P.S. (1994). Capparaceae, in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.), Flora of Australia 49: 131–132. (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra).

Hall, J.C. (2008). Systematics of Capparaceae and Cleomaceae: An evaluation of the generic delimitations of Capparis and Cleome using plastid DNA sequence data. Botany 86: 682–696.

Harden, G.J. (1990). Capparaceae, in Harden, G.J. (ed.), Flora of New South Wales 1: 455–459. (New South Wales University Press: Kensington).

Hewson, H.J. (1982). Capparaceae, in George, A.S. et al. (eds), Flora of Australia 8: 207–231, 388–389. (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra).

Iltis, H.H., Hall, J.C., Cochrane, T.S. & Sytsma, K.J. (2011). Studies in the Cleomaceae I. On the separate recognition of Capparaceae, Cleomaceae, and Brassicaeae. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 98(1): 28–36.

Jacobs, M. (1960). Capparidaceae, Flora Malesiana ser. I, 6(1): 61–105. (Noordhoff-Kolff N.V.: Jakarta).

Kers, L.E. (2003). Capparaceae, in Kubitzki, K. & Bayer, C. (eds), The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 5: 36–56. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin).

Pax, F. & K. Hoffmann, K. (1936). Capparideae, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 2nd edn, 17b: 146–223.

Ross, E.M. (1983). Capparaceae, in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M., Flora of South-eastern Queensland 1: 198–200. (Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane).

Toelken H.R. (1986). Capparaceae, in Jessop, J.P. & Toelken H.R. (eds), Flora of South Australia 4th edn, 1: 373–375. (South Australian Government Printing Division: Adelaide).

Wheeler, J.R. (1992). Capparaceae, in Wheeler, J.R. (ed.) et al., Flora of the Kimberley Region, pp. 255–262. (Dr Syd Shea, Department of Conservation and Land Management: Como, W.A.).

Flora of Australia Volume 8 (1982).