''Acanthus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of about 30 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae () is a Family (biology), family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are Tropics, tropical Herbaceous plant, herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epip ...

, native to tropical and warm temperate regions, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. This flowering plant is

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

-producing and depends on

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

, such as ''

Anartia fatima ''Anartia fatima'', the banded peacock, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is commonly found in south Texas, Mexico, and Central America but most studied in Costa Rica. This butterfly prefers subtropical climates and moist areas, such a ...

'', and other nectar-feeding organisms to distribute its pollen. 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 genus comprises

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

s, rarely

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

s, with spiny leaves and flower spikes bearing white or purplish flowers. Size varies from in height.

Species

29 species are accepted: #'' Acanthus albus'' #'' Acanthus arboreus'' Forssk. (1775) #''

Acanthus austromontanus ''Acanthus austromontanus'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus of '' Acanthus''. It is native to southwestern Tanzania and typically exists as a shrub. Description It measures in height, with young, slightly hairy stems. Its elliptic ...

'' Vollesen — This species is native to southwestern Tanzania #''

Acanthus carduaceus ''Acanthus carduaceus'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus of '' Acanthus''. It is native to Eastern Himalayas and exists as a shrub. It is also found in limited parts of Bengal and Assam. Description ''Acanthus carduaceus'' is a robu ...

'' #''

Acanthus caroli-alexandri Acanthus (: 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 *Acanthus ...

'' (Syn. ''Acanthus greuterianus'' Snogerup, B.Snogerup & Strid (2006)) — This species was discovered in NW Greece. #''

Acanthus caudatus ''Acanthus caudatus'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus of '' Acanthus''. It is native to Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the sec ...

'' #''

Acanthus dioscoridis ''Acanthus dioscoridis'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus of '' Acanthus''. It is native to wetland of South Turkey to Western Iran including Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the ...

'' Willd. #''

Acanthus ebracteatus ''Acanthus ebracteatus'' is a species of shrubby herb that grows in the undergrowth of mangroves of south-east Asia. Common names include sea holly and holly mangrove. Description It grows as an erect, spreading or scrambling shrubby herb, up t ...

'' 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 ''Acanthus eminens'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Acanthus''. It is primarily found in the tropical regions of Eastern Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. Description It is a perennial In ho ...

'' C.B.Clarke — native to tropical Africa #'' Acanthus flexicaulis'' #'' Acanthus gaed'' #'' Acanthus guineensis'' #'' Acanthus hirsutus'' Boiss. — native to Turkey, Syria #* ''Acanthus hirsutus'' subsp. ''syriacus'' (Syn. '' Acanthus syriacus'' Boiss.) — native to the

Eastern Mediterranean The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...

region #'' Acanthus hungaricus'' ( Syn. '' Acanthus balcanicus'' Heywood & I.Richardson, ''Acanthus longifolius''

Host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

) — native to the Balkans south of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

#'' Acanthus ilicifolius'' L. — native to India and Sri Lanka #'' Acanthus kulalensis'' Vollesen #'' Acanthus latisepalus'' C.B. Clarke (1899) #'' Acanthus leucostachyus'' Wall. ex

Nees Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (14 February 1776 – 16 March 1858) was a prolific German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural philosopher. He was a contemporary of Goethe and was born within the lifetime of Linnaeus. ...

. (1832) #'' Acanthus longibracteatus'' Kurz (1870) #''

Acanthus mayaccanus Acanthus (: acanthus, rarely acanthuses in English, or acanthi in Latin), its feminine form acantha (plural: acanthae), the Latinisation (literature), Latinised form of the ancient Greek word acanthos or akanthos, or the prefix acantho-, may refer ...

'' Büttner (1890) #''

'' L. — native to Mediterranean Europe #''

Acanthus montanus ''Acanthus montanus'', also known as bear's breech or mountain thistle and in Igbo; ''ogwu_ahga'' (in Agbani, Enugu State Nigeria) is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Acanthus (plant), Acanthus''. It is native to tropical Africa, growi ...

'' (Nees) 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 — native to Burundi, Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania. #'' Acanthus sennii'' #'' Acanthus seretii'' #'' Acanthus spinosus'' L. — native to southern Europe #'' Acanthus uleensis'' De Wild. — native to Central (primarily

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

and

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

) and

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

(primarily Tanzania) #'' Acanthus villaeanus'' #'' Acanthus volubilis''

Cultivation and uses

Acanthus leaves were the aesthetic basis for capitals in the

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

; 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 th ...

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 Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

. Various parts of ''Acanthus ilicifolius'' have been used to treat

asthma Asthma is a common 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 wh ...

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, 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), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

, snake bites, and

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

. The leaves of ''

'', noted for their

antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...

properties, are used for making herbal tea in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Acanthus''
* * {{Authority control Acanthaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus