Acanthus 



Acanthus. 



"^^ /I. ' molli circum est ansas amplexus acantho' {Ec. iii. 45). 



B. ' circumtextum croceo velamen acantho' {Ae. i. 649). 



' baccas semper frondentis acanthi ' {Ge. ii. 1 19). 



Here we have two distinct plants under one name. 

 The former is our garden bear's-breech (Acanthus 

 mollis), a scrofularious plant with a dull flower and 

 the large leaves which were long thought to have 

 suggested the Corinthian capital. In Theocritus the 

 carving is in relief on the body of the cup ; Virgil 

 transfers it to the handles, and perhaps meant it to 

 represent the flower spike. The epithet of ' mollis ' 

 both alludes to the carver's skill, and distinguishes 

 the plant from a kindred species whose leaves end in 

 short spines. 



Flower, March to July. 



Italian names, Acanto and Brancorsina. 



The other plant is gum arable (Acacia Arabica), 

 which is not native in Italy, and with us is a green- 

 house tree. It is akin to the shrubs whose sprays 

 of yellow flowers are in spring imported from the 

 Riviera to London, and sold under the name of 

 mimosa. These are of Australian origin. The 

 flowers of our plant are in globular heads. By 

 ' baccas ' Virgil means either these heads or the 

 curious seed-pod, which resembles a string of beads, 



In Ge. iv. 123 is the difficult phrase 'flexi vimen 

 acanthi,' referred by Martyn to the bear's-breech, 

 though neither the substantive nor the adjective well 

 fits this plant. He finds an explanation in a story 



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