acanthus

…It is a cold-tolerant perennial plant of the Acanthaceae family native to southern Europe, southwest Asia, and northern Africa, and there are about 20 species. Its Japanese name is haazami because its leaves resemble those of thistles, but it is not a member of the acanthaceae family. The genus name Acanthus comes from the Greek word akantha (meaning thorn), referring to the thorns on the leaf edges. The representative species of this genus, haazami A. mollis L., grows large, pinnately lobed, toothed, glossy dark green leaves at the base of the plant, over 50 cm long, and produces flower stalks over 1 m tall in early summer that bloom in long spikes of large, lip-shaped flowers with purple veins on a white background. …

*Some of the terminology that mentions "acanthus" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…南ヨーロッパ，南西アジア，北アフリカ原産のキツネノマゴ科の耐寒性多年草で約20種がある。葉がアザミに似るため和名をハアザミというが，アザミの仲間ではない。属名のAcanthusはギリシア語のakantha(とげの意)に由来し，葉縁にとげがあることによる。本属の代表種ハアザミA.mollis L.は，長さ50cm以上で羽状深裂し，歯牙があって光沢のある大きい濃緑色葉を根生し，初夏のころ高さ1mをこす花茎を抽出し，白地に紫色脈のある大きい唇形花を長穂状に咲かせる。…

※「acanthus」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報