Mountain Thistle

Acanthus montanus

"Acanthus montanus", also known as bear's breech or mountain thistle and in Igbo; "ogwu_ahga" 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 in Sierra Leone in West Africa and from Benin to Chad, Zambia, and Angola in central Africa.
Acanthus montanus Kruidtuin, Leuven Acanthus montanus,Belgium,Geotagged,Summer

Appearance

It is a thinly branched perennial with basal clusters of oblong to lance-shaped glossy, dark green leaves reaching up to 12 inches long. The leaves have silver marks, wavy margins and thorns. It reaches up to 6 feet tall and about 24 inches wide. Spikes of pale pink flowers appear summer to fall.

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.

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderLamiales
FamilyAcanthaceae
GenusAcanthus
SpeciesA. montanus
Photographed in
Belgium