Acanthus spinosus
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Acanthus spinosus, the spiny bear's breech, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to southern Europe, from Italy to western Turkey. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to
P1000255 Acanthus spinosus Plant
Young plant
Leaf
Acanthus (ornament)
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The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms used to make foliage ornament and decoration in the architectural tradition emanating from Greece and Rome.
Acanthus spinosus
…Mediterranean by the Roman Empire. It has been intermittently cultivated ever since, and is now a regular feature of the herbaceous border. For centuries, stone or bronze stylized versions of acanthus leaves have appeared as decoration on certain styles of architecture and furniture…
Composite capital with acanthus leaves
Timeline of acanthus styles: a) Greek; b) Roman; c) Byzantine; d) Romanesque; e & f) Gothic; g) Renaissance; h & i) Baroque; j & k) Rococo
Acanthus mollis leaf; in both this and A. spinosus the leaf forms are rather variable
Acanthuses, one natural and the rest manmade, on a Corinthian capital