Acanthus (plant)
| Acanthus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acanthus montanus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Acanthoideae |
| Tribe: | Acantheae |
| Genus: | Acanthus L. |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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.[2][3]
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.
Selected species
- 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.;[4] 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.[5]
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).
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acanthus. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Acanthus |
- ↑ "Acanthus L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ↑ ἄκανθος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project. Harper, Douglas. "acanthus". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C. CRC Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
- ↑ http://www.prota4u.info/protav8.asp?g=psk&p=Acanthus+pubescens+(Thomson+ex+Oliv.)+Engl.
- ↑ "Species Records of Acanthus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
External links
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Acanthus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.