Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Acanthus (plant)

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Kingdom
  
Plantae

Family
  
Acanthaceae

Tribe
  
Acantheae

Higher classification
  
Acanthaceae

Order
  
Lamiales

Subfamily
  
Acanthoideae

Scientific name
  
Acanthus

Rank
  
Genus

Acanthus (plant) 1365405278jpg

Lower classifications
  
Acanthus mollis, Acanthus balcanicus, Acanthus ebracteatus

Acanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. Common names include Acanthus and Bear's breeches. The generic name derives from the Greek term for the Acanthus mollis, ἄκανθος, akanthos, a plant that was commonly imitated in Corinthian capitals.

Contents

The genus comprises herbaceous perennial plants, rarely subshrubs, with spiny leaves and flower spikes bearing white or purplish flowers. Size varies from 0.4 to 2 m (1.3 to 6.6 ft) in height.

Acanthus (plant) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Selected species

Acanthus (plant) Acanthus mollis Fine Gardening

  • Acanthus balcanicus Heywood & I.Richardson (Syn. Acanthus hungaricus (Borbás) Baenitz, Acanthus longifolius Host)
  • Acanthus dioscoridis Willd.
  • Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl; This species occurs in South Asia, including Brunei Darussalam, China, South Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. In Australasia it is found in northeast Australia, northwest Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
  • Acanthus eminens C.B.Clarke; native to tropical Africa
  • Acanthus hirsutus Boiss.
  • Acanthus ilicifolius L.; native to India and Sri Lanka
  • Acanthus mollis L.; native to Mediterranean Europe
  • Acanthus montanus T.Anders.; West and Central African species, from Ghana in the west to Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Acanthus pubescens Thomson ex Oliv.; Alternative name for A. polystachyus (EOL.org)
  • Acanthus polystachyus Delile; native to Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania.
  • Acanthus spinosus L.
  • Acanthus syriacus Boiss.

    • Cultivation and uses

    Several species, especially A. balcanicus, A. spinosus and A. mollis, are grown as ornamental plants.

    Acanthus leaves were the aesthetic basis for capitals in the Corinthian order of architecture; see acanthus (ornament).

    Acanthus (plant) Acanthus Fine Gardening

    References

    Acanthus (plant) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA