Capparaceae

Ratapple

Morisonia americana L.

Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Morisonia

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Ratapple (Morisonia americana) — Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (1)

English: Ratapple

Synonyms

Capparis morisonia Sw.
Capparis racemosa Mill.
Morisonia americana var. subpeltata Griseb. ex Eggers
Morisonia elliptica Rusby
Morisonia johnstonii Urb.

Flowers

In flower: April (from 5 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Puerto Rico: native, U.S. Virgin Islands: native

Photos

Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Sinaloa Silvestre, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Arturo Castro Castro, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Carlos Domínguez-Rodríguez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Morisonia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.