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''Acanthus'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of about 30 species of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
s in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. This flowering plant is nectar producing and is susceptible to
predation Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...
by butterflies, such as '' Anartia fatima'', and other nectar feeding organisms. Common names include Acanthus and Bear's breeches. The generic name derives from the Greek term (''akanthos'') for ''
Acanthus mollis ''Acanthus mollis'', commonly known as bear's breeches, sea dock, bear's foot plant, sea holly, gator plant or oyster plant, is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a leafy, clump-forming ...
'', a plant that was commonly imitated in
Corinthian capitals The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...
. The genus comprises herbaceous
perennial plant 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 ...
s, rarely subshrubs, with spiny leaves and flower spikes bearing white or purplish flowers. Size varies from in height.


Selected species

*'' Acanthus arboreus'' Forssk. (1775) *'' Acanthus austromontanus'' Vollesen *'' Acanthus balcanicus'' Heywood & I.Richardson ( Syn. ''Acanthus hungaricus'' ( Borbás) Baenitz, ''Acanthus longifolius'' Host) — native to the Balkans south of Dalmatia *'' 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 greuterianus Acanthus (plural: acanthus, rarely acanthuses in English, or acanthi in Latin), its feminine form acantha (plural: acanthae), the Latinised form of the ancient Greek word acanthos or akanthos, or the prefix acantho-, may refer to: Biology *Ac ...
'' Snogerup, B.Snogerup & Strid (2006) — This species was discovered in NW Greece. *''
Acanthus hirsutus ''Acanthus hirsutus'' is a species of flowering plant in the Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or t ...
'' Boiss. — native to Turkey, Syria *'' Acanthus ilicifolius'' L. — native to India and Sri Lanka *'' Acanthus kulalensis'' Vollesen *'' Acanthus latisepalus'' C.B. Clarke (1899) *'' Acanthus leucostachyus'' Wall. ex Nees. (1832) *'' Acanthus longibracteatus'' Kurz (1870) *'' Acanthus mayaccanus'' Büttner (1890) *''
Acanthus mollis ''Acanthus mollis'', commonly known as bear's breeches, sea dock, bear's foot plant, sea holly, gator plant or oyster plant, is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a leafy, clump-forming ...
'' 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. *'' Acanthus polystachyus''
Delile Alire Raffeneau Delile (23 January 1778, in Versailles – 5 July 1850, in Montpellier) was a French botanist. Biography Delile studied botany with Jean Lemonnier, and was in the Paris medical school in 1796. Egypt Delile participated in Napol ...
— native to Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania. *''
Acanthus spinosus ''Acanthus spinosus'', the spiny bear's breech, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to southern Europe, from Italy to western Turkey. It is an herbaceous perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a ...
'' L. — native to southern Europe *'' Acanthus syriacus'' Boiss. (Syn. ''Acanthus hirsutus subsp. syriacus'') — native to the Eastern Mediterranean region *'' Acanthus uleensis'' De Wild. — native to Central (primarily DR Congo and Republic of the Congo) and East Africa (primarily Tanzania)


Cultivation and uses

Acanthus leaves were the aesthetic basis for
capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
in the Corinthian order of architecture; see acanthus (ornament). Several species, especially '' A. balcanicus'', '' A. spinosus'' and '' A. mollis'', are grown as
ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
s. Acanthus leaves also have many medicinal uses. '' Acanthus ilicifolius'', whose chemical composition has been heavily researched, is widely used in ethnopharmaceutical applications, including in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. Various parts of ''Acanthus ilicifolius'' have been used to treat
asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
,
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
,
leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...
,
hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...
,
snake bites A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...
, and
rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are inv ...
. The leaves of '' Acanthus ebracteatus'', noted for their antioxidant properties, are used for making Thai herbal tea in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
.


References


External links


Flora Europaea: ''Acanthus''
* *
{{Taxonbar, from=Q158091 Acanthaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus