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Acanthaceae FAMILY

Acanthus mollis

Acanthus mollis

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Acanthus mollis is a plant of the warm temperate to subtropical zone, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 38°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive occasional temperatures down to about -15°c, if the soil is not too wet[2], though young plants may require protection in the winter[3] and even mature ones may need protection in cold winters[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 800mm, but tolerates 400 - 1,000mm[1]. Prefers a deep loamy soil in a sheltered position in full sun[5] but tolerates partial shade[6, 4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils if they are well-drained but dislikes heavy damp soils[4] and will not overwinter in wet soils[7]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[1]. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant[3]. The leaves can wilt on hot summer days when plants are grown in full sun[3]. Does well in the lawn or wild garden[4]. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut in the autumn[8]. Members of this genus are not usually browsed by deer[8].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame[9, 7] or outside as soon as the seed is ripe[9]. It usually germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 10°c[9]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for two years before planting out in late spring or early summer[7, PFAF]. Division in spring or autumn[4, 7]. Very easy, they can be planted straight out into their permanent positions. Root cuttings - winter in a coldframe[4, 7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Acanthus+mollis>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1991 · ISBN 0-330-30936-9 ↩︎Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
  3. [3]The Dry Garden. — Chatto. B. · Dent · 1982 · ISBN 0460045512 ↩︎A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
  4. [4]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  5. [5]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  6. [6]Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland. — Brown. ↩︎
  7. [7]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  8. [8]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  9. [9]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  10. [10]KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder — Missouri Botanical Garden · http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/ ↩︎Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
  11. [11]Ground Cover Plants. — Royal Horticultural Society. · Cassells. · 1989 · ISBN 0-304-31089-1 ↩︎A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.
  12. [12]Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. — Polunin. O. · Oxford University Press · 1980 · ISBN 0-19-217626-9 ↩︎A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.
  13. [13]Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. — Chiej. R. · MacDonald · 1984 · ISBN 0-356-10541-5 ↩︎Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
  14. [14]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  15. [15]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  16. [16]The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism — Stuart. M. (Editor) · Orbis Publishing. London. · 1979 · ISBN 0-85613-067-2 ↩︎Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
  17. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎