Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Acanthus hungaricus

(Acanthus hungaricus)

galery
en

Description

Acanthus balcanicus, is an endemic herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Acanthus, native to the Balkan peninsula, up to Dalmatia. This plant is also cultivated in many European and American gardens. It grows to 80 cm tall, with basal clusters of deeply lobed and cut leaves. Leaves are dark green and shiny. It flowers in mid summer from July to August. Flowers are on a very long flowering stem and consist of a lower lip and upper tooth-like lip. 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. This flowering plant is nectar producing and is susceptible to predation 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, a plant that was commonly imitated in Corinthian capitals. 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 leaves were the aesthetic basis for capitals in the Corinthian order of architecture; see acanthus (ornament). Several species, especially A. balcanicus, A. spinosus and A. mollis, are grown as ornamental plants. 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, diabetes, leprosy, hepatitis, snake bites, and rheumatoid arthritis. The leaves of Acanthus ebracteatus, noted for their antioxidant properties, are used for making Thai herbal tea in Thailand and Indonesia.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Lamiales
Family:Acanthaceae
Genus:Acanthus
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