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| Photo Credit: Gerald Klingaman |
| Bear’s breech blooms in early summer. (The flower scapes can reach up to 5 feet tall!) |
Actors often get typecast into certain roles – and the same sometimes happens to plants. Take for example Acanthus mollis. Its leaves have been the model for decorative detail on everything from Corinthian columns to currency, yet it’s generally not thought of as a garden plant.
Called bear’s breech since ancient times, this plant is the headliner of its very own family, the Acanthaceae. It’s an evergreen herbaceous perennial native to southern Europe, where it’s adorned all kinds of buildings for centuries. Individual plants grow from 3-5 feet tall when in bloom, and its leaves splay out from a low rosette to an equal distance. These basal leaves may be up to 2 feet long and a foot wide, and all of the smooth, rich-green foliage is deeply divided and sharply incised with lobes that end in a stout spine. While the prickle-tipped leaves give bear’s breech a kind of thistle-like look, its upright, four-sided bloom spike definitely places it in the acanthus family. Bear’s breech flowers appear in late spring or early summer on erect spikes. These three-lobed, white to lavender blooms measure an inch across, but they’re covered on the top side by a spine-tipped, recurved bract in shades of lavender or a greenish hue. Though the flowers are handsome and good subjects for drying, most gardeners grow acanthus for its bold, coarse foliage. Unfortunately, acanthus gets a mixed reception among gardeners – but not without good reason: In areas with a Mediterranean climate (like California), it’s often considered an aggressive weed festooned with thorns. But in regions with a proper winter, the perennial is less rambunctious and less prone to crowd out neighboring plants.
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