Acanthaceae herb for id 020211MK1

33 views
Skip to first unread message

Muthu Karthick

unread,
Feb 2, 2011, 12:38:33 AM2/2/11
to indiantreepix
Dear all,
Kindly help to id this big herb found in a garden planted at Ooty town, Nilgiris.

Date/Time- 

24-01-2011 / 08:40 AM

Location- Place, Altitude, GP

ca.2200asl; Ooty, TN

Habitat- Garden/ Urban/ Wild/ Type- 

garden 

Plant Habit-

herb

Height/Length- 

c 1 M

Leaves Type/ Shape/ Size- 

ca.25 x 20 cm; stiff leaf with thorny margins

Inflorescence Type/ Size- 

raceme; 20-30cm longer

Flowers Size/ Colour/ Calyx/ Bracts- 

white; c. 5 X 2 cm

Fruits Type/ Shape/ Size Seeds- 


Other Information like Fragrance, Pollinator, Uses etc.- 



--
Muthu Karthick, N
Junior Research Fellow
Care Earth Trust
#15, second main road,
Thillai ganga nagar,
Chennai - 600 061
Mob: 09626833911
www.careearthtrust.org

Acanthaceae.JPG
Acanthaceae (1).JPG
Acanthaceae (2).JPG
Acanthaceae (3).JPG
Acanthaceae (4).JPG

Gurcharan Singh

unread,
Feb 2, 2011, 3:50:55 AM2/2/11
to Muthu Karthick, indiantreepix
I think Acanthus montanus. I had seen it growing in California



-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

tanay bose

unread,
Feb 2, 2011, 8:18:47 AM2/2/11
to Gurcharan Singh, Muthu Karthick, indiantreepix
Acanthus montanus I also predict 
Tanay
--
Tanay Bose
Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant.
Department of Botany.
University of British Columbia .
3529-6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 (Canada)
Phone: 778-323-4036 (Mobile)
           604-822-2019 (Lab)
           604-822-6089  (Fax)


Muthu Karthick

unread,
Feb 3, 2011, 3:42:59 AM2/3/11
to tanay bose, Gurcharan Singh, indiantreepix
Many thanks for the identification Singhji and Tanayji. 

The plant is Acanthus mollis L. [Acanthaceae] as per http://tropicos.org/Image/100106251
--
Muthu Karthick, N

Muthu Karthick

unread,
Feb 3, 2011, 3:56:12 AM2/3/11
to tanay bose, Gurcharan Singh, indiantreepix
or could this be Acanthus spinosus L. as in http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Bear's%20Breeches.html

Gurcharan Singh

unread,
Feb 3, 2011, 4:32:39 AM2/3/11
to Muthu Karthick, tanay bose, indiantreepix
Muthu ji
A. mollis does not have spiny bracts. Your photograph shows clear spiny margined bracts and leaf segments


-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

Gurcharan Singh

unread,
Mar 1, 2011, 10:23:24 PM3/1/11
to Muthu Karthick, tanay bose, indiantreepix
Muthu ji
The plant at FOI is perhaps wrongly identified as A. spinosus

A. mollis has leaves less deeply divided without spinose teeth, bracts and calyx teeth are are not spinose, calyx lobes hairy along margin

In both A. montanus and  A. spinosus (syn: A. spinosissimus) the leaf lobes and bracts are spinose.

In A. montanus leaves are glossy green above, less deeply pinnatifid; In A. spinosus the leaves are rigid, leathery, deeply pinnatifid with rigid spinose teeth.



Obviously both your plant as one on FOI is A. montanus



Needless to say that there is terrible mix up of photographs on the internet.



-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

Muthu Karthick

unread,
Mar 3, 2011, 5:27:43 AM3/3/11
to Gurcharan Singh, tanay bose, indiantreepix
Many thanks for showing taxonomic light sir. 
Mob: 0091 96268 33911
www.careearthtrust.org

JM Garg

unread,
Jun 20, 2016, 4:54:16 AM6/20/16
to efloraofindia, Muthu Karthick, Gurcharan Singh, tsp, jayanthi. bsi
Acanthaceae.JPG
Acanthaceae (1).JPG
Acanthaceae (2).JPG
Acanthaceae (3).JPG
Acanthaceae (4).JPG

Gurcharan Singh

unread,
Jun 20, 2016, 6:06:50 AM6/20/16
to JM Garg, efloraofindia, Muthu Karthick, tsp, jayanthi. bsi
Yes Acanthus mollis.

Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

J.M. Garg

unread,
Jun 20, 2016, 6:07:59 AM6/20/16
to Gurcharan Singh, efloraofindia, Muthu Karthick, tsp, jayanthi. bsi
Thanks, Singh ji.
--
With regards,
J.M.Garg

'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'

Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia

For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia website (with a species database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images).

The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.

Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'.

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages