<i> Acanthus mollis </i>

Bear’s breech

Large-leaved perennial, mounding to about 3 feet

Acanthus mollis is a common shrub in Southern California, prevalent in older gardens and widely available in nurseries. It is an interesting mounding plant with large, glossy, dark-green, heavily sculpted leaves. White flowers--encased in lids of purple--emerge on tall spikes in late spring and early summer.

We are not the first to have been intrigued by this Mediterranean plant. There is a legend that says a Corinthian architect named Callimachus one day left a basket at his daughter’s grave. When he returned, the plant had sprung up around the basket. He then incorporated the leaves of Acanthus mollis into the capitals of Corinthian columns. Acanthus (or bear’s breech) also is found in the architecture of Greek temples, and symbolizes immortality. ( Akanthos is the Greek word for prickly-- the flowers are spiny.)

At the J. Paul Getty Museum in Pacific Palisades--an exact duplicate of the 1st Century Villa de Papyri, near Pompeii-- Acanthus mollis is planted in large numbers in the main peristyle garden, which also is from a plan of the original site. In the frescoes painted on the peristyle walls, re-created from originals, stylized acanthus flowers wrap around columns. And you can see the leaves at the top of the columns surrounding the garden.

You see bear’s breech now in Southern California in borders, along driveways, against walls and fences, in tropical-looking settings. According to Steve Cutting, assistant grounds superintendent at the Getty, Acanthus mollis grows well at the beach and does well inland if planted in shady, moist areas. In the winter, it is root-hardy. If in the summertime it seems to fizzle out, simply cut the flowers back. The plant will do much better. Fertilizer helps. For infestations of whitefly, Cutting recommends repeated applications of insecticidal soap. Younger plants are more susceptible to snails; bait with metaldehyde.

Acanthus mollis spreads by rhizomes and is difficult to eradicate once established. Remove suckers to prevent it from becoming invasive. Clumps can be divided now until spring.