Adelaide Botanic Garden: Native Orange

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This tree is found in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, about 50m north of the North Terrace entrance. The Native Orange Capparis mitchellii is an Australian evergreen from the Capparaceae family. Capparis is from the Latin for caper, in recognition of its buds; and mitchellii is a name in honour of Scotsman Sir Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855), a noted explorer of inland Australia, particularly the Murray-Darling basin. It is an important food source for a range of butterflies and moths, and it has pharmaceutical value.

Its place in the Register is assured because it is an outstanding specimen of its kind, and an early planted example of what was local vegetation, so it is rare now, in Adelaide, and each year it is home to the rare Caper butterfly. It is considered to be of State significance.