''Crateva religiosa'', the sacred garlic pear or temple plant, is a species of flowering tree. It is a member of the

capers ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning ...

family. The tree is sometimes called the spider tree because the showy flowers bear long, spidery

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. It is native to much of tropical Asia and several South Pacific islands. It is grown elsewhere for fruit, especially in parts of the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n continent. The garlic pear tree is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

that can grow up to . The nectar-filled flowers are attractive to a multitude of insects and birds. A pierid butterfly, ''

Hebomoia glaucippe ''Hebomoia glaucippe'', the great orange-tip, is a butterfly belonging to the family Pieridae, that is the yellows and whites. It is found in the Indomalayan realm and Wallacea. Distribution This species is found in much of south and southeast A ...

'', is a frequent visitor to this plant. The chemical compound lupeol can be extracted from the bark of ''C. Religiosa''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q311133 Capparaceae Flora of tropical Asia Flora of the Pacific