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]
| Acanthus montanus | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Acanthus |
| Species: | A. montanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Acanthus montanus (Nees) T.Anderson (1863)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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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]
References
edit- ^ a b Ghogue, J.-P. 2010. Acanthus montanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T185329A8390038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T185329A8390038.en. Accessed 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Acanthus montanus (Nees) T.Anderson. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Acanthus montanus". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
External links
edit
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Acanthus montanus". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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