Blepharis. — Acanthus. 903 
nerves without when young; bracteoles linear, 1—1,5 long. Posticous 
calyx-segment 1--1,5 em long, broadly ovate, very hairy; 2 inmost 
calyx-segments 5—8 mm long. Corolla 2 cm long or rather more, 
blue. Capsule 5 cm long or rather more, 2-seeded. — Flow. 
February to March. 
D. a. sept. Serapeum; Bir-Suez; Suez, in deep sandy places; 
Wady; Gebel ahmar near Cairo on calcarious ground; Ras zafarat. 
D. a. mer. Qoseyr; Wady Lekhuma. 
Local name: shok-ed-dab (Schimper). 
Also known from Tropical Africa and Arabia. 
513. (2.) Acanthus Linn. 
Calyx sub-4-partite to the base; 2 anticous segments connate 
high up or quito to the tip; posticous segment lanceolate or oblong, 
3-nerved; 2 interior segments narrower. Corolla; posticous lip 0, 
represented by a thickened sinus at the level of insertion of the 
stamens; anticous lip nearly flat, 3—5-lobed; middle (anticous) 
seement outside in bud. Stamens 4, subsimilar; filaments glabrous; 
anthers 1-celled, oblong, muticous, fringed with white hairs; pollen 
ellipsoid with 3 narrow longitudinal chinks. Ovarv with 2—1 ovules 
in each cell, glabrous; style glabrous; branches 2, subequal, short- 
lanceolate or very small. Capsule ellipsoid, woody, shining brown, 
2-(rarely 4-)seeded; seeds discoid, without hairs. — Shrubs or 
small trees. Leaves pinnatifid or entire, prickly or not. Flowers 
usually large, in long or short spikes; bract ovate, spinous or unar- 
med, or 0; bracteoles 2, ovate, spinous or unarmed, or linear, or 0. 
A genus very close to Blepharis, which is absolutely separated by 
the hairy seeds. 
Species 8 or 10, extending from South Europe and Africa to Malaya, 
Australia, and Polynesia. 
1253. Acanthus arboreus Forsk. Flor. aeg.-arab. (1775), p. 115. 
— Lindau in Engler and Prantl Natuerl. Pflanzenfam. IV, fase. 3 B, 
p. 319. — Acanthus polystachius Delile Cent. Plant. Afric., p. 62 
tab. 1 fig.2. — Acanthus pubescens Engler in Hochgebirgsflora 
Trop. Afrik., p. 390. — Pubescent or glabrate, stout shrub 1—6 m 
high. Leaves up to 22 cm by 9 cm (often only half this size), 
pinnatifid half-way down, or lobate with doubly spinous margin; 
petiole 1—2 cm long. Spikes 3—1, terminal, up to 9—20 cm by 
5 om, often pubescent or hairy; bracts 2'/, cm by 1 cm, ovate- 
lanceolate, acuminate, with many strong spines on the margin 5 mm 
long; bracteoles 2'/, cm by 4 mm, spinous on the margins. Posti- 
cous calyx-segment exceeding 2 cm in length, lanceolate, 3-nerved, 
