Acanthus montanus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Acanthus montanus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Acanthus |
| Species: | A. montanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Acanthus montanus (Nees) T.Anderson (1863) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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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. It is native to tropical Africa, growing in wet and shady places like stream borders[1] in Sierra Leone in West Africa and from Benin to Chad, Zambia, and Angola in central Africa.[2]
It is a thinly branched perennial with basal clusters of oblong to lance-shaped glossy, dark green leaves reaching up to 12 inches (30 cm) long. The leaves have silver marks, wavy margins and thorns. It reaches up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and about 24 inches (61 cm) wide. Spikes of pale pink flowers appear summer to fall.[3]
In cultivation it prefers shady situations and occasional deep watering, but tolerates sunny, dry situations too. Its aggressive roots make this plant well suited to slopes.[3]
