Acanthus .] 
CVl. ACANTHACE^. 
5 71 
13 . ACANTHUS, Linn. 
Shrubby herbs. Leaves stiff, usually spiny. Flowers in a 
terminal spike. Bracts ovate. Bracteoles 2 or o, similar. Sepals 
free nearly to base; 2 inner narrower than outer. Corolla 2-lipped, 
upper lip truncate or o, lower lip large deflexed, wide flat, 3-lobed. 
Stamens 4, filaments thick; anthers oblong with stiff white hairs. 
Capsule ellipsoid woody, bright brown, 2-seeded. Seeds discoid, 
glabrous. Species about 10, South Europe to Polynesia. 
Stiff erect tidal swamp plants; leayes spiny. 
Corolla large, blue; bracteole-25 in, long . . (1) A. ilicifolius 
Corolla smaller, white (or pale blue); bracteoles o. (2) A. ebracteatus 
Unarmed climber; leaves some or all entire . . {3) A. volubilis 
(1) A. ilicifolius Linn. Sp. PL 639; Clarke, lx. 659. 
Stems about 2 ft. tall. Leaves dark green, prickly, oblong lobed, 
4 to 7 in. long, 1 to 3 in. wide; petioles -i in. long. Spikes 6 in. 
long, with several flowers. Bracts -3 in. long, ovate. Bracteoles 
•25 in. long. Sepals, 2 outer round ovate, -5 to -7 in. long. Corolla 
large showy, blue, 175 in. long. Capsule oblong, 1 in. long, -5 in. 
across. Hab. Scarce, except in the north, tidal river mud, Perak, 
Matang (Wray). Lankawi, Kwah. Setul. Perlis. Pulau Adang, 
Rawei Isle (Ridley). Commoner in India to Australia. 
(2) A. ebracteatus Wall. Enum. ii. 75, t. 40; Clarke, l.c. 660. 
Two or more ft. tall, much more slender than A. ilicifolius. 
Leaves smaller, narrower, 5 to 7 in. long by 2 in. wide, deeply 
lobed and spiny, dark green; petioles *1 in. long or less. Spike 
4 in. long, many-flowered. Bracts ovate,-25 in. long. Bracteoles 0. 
Calyx-lobes as long, ovate. Corolla usually white, but sometimes 
pale blue, lip 1 in. long, 75 in. across, white entirely or with cobalt 
blue tip and yellowish central keel, elliptic-oblong. Stamens 
pink. Capsule oblong. Hab. Very common in all tidal rivers 
from Singapore to Setul. .Singapore, Jurong; Gelang, both blue 
and white forms. Johor, Tana Merah Road. Pahang, Pelcan. 
Malacca, Siingei Hudang (Cantley); Malacca town. Penang 
(Curtis); Setul near Bukit Rajah Wang. Distrib. Indo-Malaya. 
Native name : Jerujuh. Use : The seeds in decoction have a high 
reputation for persistent boils. Pounded and mixed in water 
they are said to cure and preserve from future attacks for one year 
for each seed taken. 
This has often been confused with A. ilicifolius, though no one who saw 
the two plants alive could possibly mistake them. The fine large azure blue 
flowers of A. ilicifolius, more than twice as big as those of the white-flowered, 
more rarely bluish, A. ebracteatus, distinguish the two at the first glance. 
(3) A. volubilis Wall. PL As. Rar. ii. 56, t. 172; Clarke, l.c. 
660. 
Twining plant. Leaves lanceolate acuminate mucronulate, 
narrowed to the base, entire unarmed, 6 in. long, 1 to 1-15 in. 
FLM.R, 2. p P 
