ACANTHUS

ACANTHUS, bear-breech, or brank-urine, in botany; a genus of plants of the angiosperma order belonging to the didynamia class. For the figure of this plant, which is extremely beautiful, see Plate I. fig. 3. There are five

Species. 1. The mollis, or common bear's-breech, a native of Italy, is the sort that is used in medicine*, and is supposed to be the mollis acanthus of Virgil: no 68.

the leaves of this species are famous for having given rise to the capital of the Corinthian pillars †. 2. The spinosus, or prickly bear's-breech; the leaves of which are deeply jagged in very regular order, and each segment is terminated with a sharp spine, as are also the footstalks of the leaves and the empalement of the flower, which renders it troublesome to handle them. 3. Illicifolius, or shrubby bear's-breech, grows naturally in both the Indies. It is an evergreen shrub, which rises about four feet high; and is divided into many branches, garnished with leaves like those of the common holly, and armed with spines in the same manner: the flowers are white, and shaped like those of the common acanthus, but smaller. 4. The nigra, or Portugal bear's-breech, with smooth sinuated leaves of a livid green colour, was discovered in Portugal by Dr Jussieu of the royal garden at Paris. 5. The middle bear's-breech, with entire leaves, having spines on their border, is supposed to be the acanthus of Diofcorides.

Culture. They are all perennial plants. The first and second species may be propagated either by seeds, or by off-shoots from the roots. The best way is to raise them from the seeds; which should be sown about the end of March, in a light soil. They are best dropped at distances into shallow drills, and covered three quarters of an inch with mould. When the plants are come up, the strongest should be marked, and the rest should be pulled up, that these may stand at a yard distance one from another. They require no other culture, but to keep them clear from weeds. The third, fourth and fifth sorts, are propagated only by seeds; which, as they do not ripen in Europe, must be obtained from the places in which they grow naturally: the plants are so tender, that they cannot be preserved out of the stove in this country.

ACANTHUS is likewise used by Theophrastus as a synonyme of the acacia.