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Noun

bear's breeches - widely cultivated southern European acanthus with whitish purple-veined flowers

Acanthus mollis, bear's breech, sea holly

acanthus - any plant of the genus Acanthus having large spiny leaves and spikes or white or purplish flowers; native to Mediterranean region but widely cultivated

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References in periodicals archive

Acanthus spinosus, sometimes called bear's breeches, is extraordinarily successful due to its ability to regenerate from every fragment of its thick, fleshy roots.

Draining exercises; diary

STEVAN SZEWCZYK VIA EMAIL HI STEVAN This is Acanthus mollis, sometimes known as Bear's Breeches. It is a herbaceous perennial and is often classed by designers as an "architectural" plant due to its strong vertical lines and wonderful large shapely leaves.

THE SEEDS OF CHANGE.. gardening

It was a riot of colour full of humming bees and insects, now it's tidy but silent; all the fluffy pink agrimony has gone as have the Shasta daisies and the bindweed that clung to the railings like a drunk to a lamppost but at least they've left the beautiful buddleia and the strange spires of bear's breeches.

WALES: I invited all who love wild flowers to walk along the banks of Gyffin stream to see it in all its voluptuous summer splendour

Autumn colour in the herbaceous border has taken a bit of a hammering from the rain this year, so much so that no sooner had the monkshoods, the bear's breeches and toad lilies flowered than they were flattened by the latest in a succession of storms.

Border battle ahead

The popular name of bear's breeches is thought to be a sanitised version of bear's breech, suggested by the soft, hairy leaves of some species resembling a bear's back legs or rump.

Be spot on when you plant `breeches'

Not only does the book highlight recent additions to the Southern landscape such as bear's breeches, Japanese fiber banana, and angelonias, but new varieties of old favorites get renewed attention from Winter's text: bachelor buttons in three heights, a renewed popularity of butterfly weed, and a purple-leafed variety of elephant ears, well-known for their tolerance of sun and humidity.

Two to grow on: respected Mississippi gardening experts share their secrets in a pair of new books. (Home Pages)