Acanthus, the artful remedy

The Acanthus, a remarkably flamboyant botanical species, is often used to adorn parks and gardens due to its striking appearance.

Commonly known as Bear’s Breech, Branca Ordina, Brancalupo, and St. Mary’s Herb, its etymology traces back to the Latin words ‘acanhtus’ meaning thorny and ‘mollis’, meaning soft; referring to its leaves.

Main botanical species of acanthus

Two main species are recognized: Acanthus mollis and Acanthus spinosus, distinguished primarily by leaf shape.

These perennial herbaceous plants boast sizable dimensions, with a subwoody, erect stem reaching up to 120 cm in height, emerging from the center of large basal rosettes of leaves.

In the case of A. mollis, the basal leaves are sparsely hairy on the upper surface and pubescent along the veins on the lower surface and the petiole, capable of reaching a length of 80 cm. The leaf blade, brightly green and darker above, takes on a pinnately lobed shape with deeply incised and toothed lobes.

As one ascends the stem, the upper leaves diminish in size, measuring 1.5-4 cm by 1-2.5 cm, becoming sessile (lacking a petiole), with an ovate lanceolate profile and adorned with spines.

On the other hand, A. spinosus exhibits leaves with greater rigidity, more deeply incised and spiny, resembling those of thistles.

The leaves dry in the summer and regenerate in autumn.

Botanical description of acanthus

The Acanthus flower is arranged in a cylindrical spike, an inflorescence rich in bilabiate calyx flowers. The upper lip is purple, larger than the lower lip, which is white with purplish veins, trilobed and pubescent.

Four arched stamens are fused to the corolla, with hairy anthers at the base; the ovary is superior, with two locules and a style longer than the stamens. The flowers are accompanied by large bracts up to 4 cm long with spiny teeth at the margins and apex.

The fruit is an ovoid loculicidal capsule, light brown at maturity, bearing at the apex a stylar appendage resembling a long filament, containing 1 to 4 seeds (theoretically 2 per locule) smooth, compressed, dark brownish-red, averaging 1 cm or slightly more in length, and resembling beans. Dehiscence (capsule opening at maturity) is sudden and elastic, projecting the seeds at a certain distance, facilitating their dispersal.

The seeds exhibit a high degree of germinability, but the natural propagation of the plant is limited to environments maintaining a certain degree of soil moisture even in the dry season. Acanthus thrives in cool, humid, shady places up to an altitude of 700 meters above sea level.

Composition and uses of acanthus

Despite being relatively obscure, Acanthus has various health applications, serving as an astringent, emollient, and vulnerary plant for both internal and external use.

Rich in mucilage and tannins, it has traditionally been used to treat dislocations and burns.

A paste derived from the plant, when applied to dislocated joints, tends to normalize the affected muscles and ligaments. Crushed leaves are used to make poultices on burned skin.

For internal use, the plant possesses emollient properties, addressing irritated mucous membranes of the gastric tract and urinary passages. It facilitates the liquefaction of bronchial mucus and also exerts a calming and astringent effect on the intestines.

Infusions of leaves or flowers stimulate appetite, support liver function, and regulate digestion.

There are no phytotoxic uses.

Acanthus among symbolism and art

Acanthus attains its highest recognition and prestige in the realm of art, specifically in classical literature and architecture, highly esteemed in ancient Greek mythology as well.

It is no coincidence that it carries symbolic significance, laden with meaning.

According to Greek legend, the nurse of a prematurely deceased maiden in Corinth had placed a basket with her most cherished belongings on the tomb, covering it with a square tile to conceal them. Come spring, the architect Callimachus, passing through, saw the tile lifted by a harmonious clump of Acanthus leaves grown on the grave, symbolizing the immortality and transformation of the maiden into a plant. This vision inspired him to create the capital later called “Corinthian“, adorned with the large oblong and deeply incised leaves of this plant.

Since antiquity, Acanthus has been considered a defense against malevolent spirits and adopted to safeguard the entrances of sacred locations, tombs, and temples, where bunches of Acanthus leaves were hung. Over time, these powers were also attributed to its reproduction in wood, stone, or marble.

Acanthus became the foundational decorative element of capitals and friezes in structures built to protect sacred places.

Giovanni Pascoli sang not of the leaves, but of the white Acanthus flower in the poem “Myricae,” which begins with the lines:

 

Stiff paper flower, toothed

petals of fine needles, rising slender

from the tuft, like a winged serpent from a capital;

Flower that snarls from straight stems

with mouths of small hippogriffs;

Poet’s flower!

ANJA LATINI

Registered Herbalist at RNEP No. GLT0018S