''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 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 ...

and is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a leafy, clump-forming

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

, with a rosette of relatively large, lobed or toothed leaves, and purplish and white flowers on an erect spike.

Description

''Acanthus mollis'' is a leafy, clump-forming perennial herb with

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

ous roots. It has a basal rosette of dark glossy green, lobed or divided,

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

leaves long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are borne on an erect spike up to tall emerging from the leaf rosette. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are purplish and function as the upper and lower lips of the petals, the upper lip about long and the lower lip long. The petals are about long and form a tube with a ring of hairs where the

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are attached. Flowering occurs in summer and the fruit is a sharply-pointed capsule about long containing one or two brown seeds about long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming

''Acanthus mollis'' was first formally described in 1753 by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in his book ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

''. The name of the genus derives from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

name of the plant ''ákanthos''; it was imitated in Corinthian capitals. This ''ákanthos'' is related to ''ákantha'' meaning "thorn" referring to the thorn-bearing

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

, or any thorny or prickly plant in Greek. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name of the species, ''mollis'' meaning "soft, smooth", refers to the texture of the leaves.

Distribution and ecology

Although native to the eastern and central Mediterranean, ''Acanthus mollis'' has spread throughout much of western Europe and certain parts of the Americas, Australia,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and New Zealand, where it is regarded as invasive. ''Acanthus mollis'' is entomophilous, pollinated only by bees or bumble bees large enough to force their way between the upper sepal and the lower, so that they can reach the nectar at the bottom of the tube.

Use in horticulture

These plants are usually propagated from

tubers Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reprod ...

and tend to form large, localized clumps which can survive for several decades and look statuesque when well-grown, but its suitability as a garden plant is lessened on account of its aggressive spread (new plants are produced readily both from seed and portions of root) and its susceptibility to attacks from slugs and snails.

Cultural depiction

The shape of the leaf of this plant inspired the ancient Greek sculptor

Callimachus Callimachus (; ; ) was an ancient Greek poet, scholar, and librarian who was active in Alexandria during the 3rd century BC. A representative of Ancient Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, he wrote over 800 literary works, most of which ...

(5th c. BCE) to model the capital of the Corinthian column. Since then, 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 ...

column has been used extensively in

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman world , also Greco-Roman civilization, Greco-Roman culture or Greco-Latin culture (spelled Græco-Roman or Graeco-Roman in British English), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and co ...

and

Classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

. For centuries, stone or bronze stylized versions of acanthus leaves have appeared as acanthus decorations on certain styles of architecture and furniture.

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

described

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

as wearing a dress embroidered with ''Acanthus'' leaves.

Gallery

AcanthusmollisPalatineHill.jpg, Habit (MHNT) Acanthus mollis bud - Boileau, Bouloc, France.jpg, Bud Acanthus_mollis_inflorescence.JPG, Inflorescence Acanthaceae - Acanthus mollis-2.JPG, Close-up of stamens Acanthus_mollis_flower.JPG, Lateral view 2007-07-13Acanthus09.jpg, Fruit Acanthaceae - Acanthus mollis.JPG, Leaf Acanthus mollis MHNT.BOT.2007.43.58.jpg, Fruit and seeds Acanthus mollis flower parts text.jpg, Dismembered flower

References

External links

* The Introduced Flora of Australia and its Weed Status, by R.P.Randall, Department of Agriculture and Food,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

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Biolib

Malta Wild Plants
{{Authority control Acanthus (plant), mollis Garden plants of Europe Garden plants of Africa Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Malta Flora of the Mediterranean basin