acanthus
American Heritage Dictionary:
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a·can·thus
(ə-kăn'thəs) 
n., pl., -thus·es, or -thi (-thī').
n., pl., -thus·es, or -thi (-thī').
- Any of various perennial herbs or small shrubs of the genus Acanthus, native to the Mediterranean and having pinnately lobed basal leaves with spiny margins and showy spikes of white or purplish flowers. Also called bear's breech.
- Architecture. A design patterned after the leaves of one of these plants, used especially on the capitals of Corinthian columns.
[New Latin Acanthus, genus name, from Greek akanthos, thorn plant, from akantha, thorn.]
acanthine a·can'thine (-thĭn, -thīn) adj.Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
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acanthus
Any of the more than 3,500 plant species that make up the family Acanthaceae, of the mint order (Lamiales). Acanthus are found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. Most are herbaceous plants or shrubs that grow in tropical rainforests; some are climbers (vines) or trees. Acanthus have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs on the twigs and enlarged cells called cystoliths in streaks or protuberances in the vegetative parts. The bisexual flowers are bilaterally symmetrical and usually crowded together in clusters. Individual flowers are enclosed by leaflike bracts, which are often coloured and large. Acanthus are mainly of horticultural interest and include some ornamentals.
For more information on acanthus, visit Britannica.com.
A common plant of the Mediterranean, whose leaves, stylized, form the characteristic decoration of capitals of Corinthian and Composite orders. In scroll form it appears on friezes, panels, etc.
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Columbia Encyclopedia:
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acanthus
acanthus (əkăn'thəs), common name for a member of the Acanthaceae, a family of chiefly perennial herbs and shrubs, mostly native to the tropics. A few members of the family, many of which have decorative spiny leaves, are cultivated as ornamentals-especially the Mediterranean acanthus, or bear's-breech (genus Acanthus), whose ornate leaves were the source of a stylized motif used in Greek and Roman art (see Corinthian order). In Christian art the acanthus symbolizes heaven. Some species of the genus Ruellia are native to and cultivated as ornamentals in North America, chiefly in the South. Acanthus is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Scrophulariacles.
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categories related to 'acanthus'
- Classical Elements and Design - acanthus: decorative scrolled leaf form
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Acanthus (plant)
| Acanthus | |
|---|---|
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| Acanthus montanus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Subfamily: | Acanthoideae |
| Tribe: | Acantheae |
| Genus: | Acanthus L. |
| Species | |
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| 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 is derived from the Greek word ακανθος (acanthos), meaning "thorny."[2]
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.
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Selected species
- Acanthus balcanicus Heywood & I.Richardson (Syn. Acanthus hungaricus (Borbás) Baenitz, Acanthus longifolius Host)
- Acanthus dioscoridis Willd.
- Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl
- Acanthus eminens C.B.Clarke
- Acanthus hirsutus Boiss.
- Acanthus ilicifolius L.
- Acanthus mollis L.
- Acanthus montanus T.Anders.
- Acanthus polystachyus Delile
- Acanthus spinosus L.
- Acanthus syriacus Boiss.[3]
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 Corinthian capitals; 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. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?61. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
- ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C. CRC Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=esMPU5DHEGgC&.
- ^ "Species Records of Acanthus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?61. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
External links
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Acanthus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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