Appearance
It grows as an erect, spreading or scrambling shrubby herb, up to 1.5 metres tall, usually with a great many stems. Its leaves are dark green, stiff, with sharp spines at the end of each deep lobe: very much like those of holly . Flowers are blue, purple or white, and occur in spikes terminal on the branches. The fruit is a square-shaped capsule, which explodes when ripe, projecting the seeds up to two metres from the plant. Seeds are off-white and flat.
Distribution
It occurs in the undergrowth of mangroves in south-east Asia, including northern Australia.Habitat
It occurs in the undergrowth of mangroves in south-east Asia, including northern Australia.Uses
The leaves of ''Acanthus ebracteatus'', noted for their antioxidant properties, are used for making Thai herbal tea in Thailand and Indonesia.References:
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