ebarbatus Acanthus ebracteatus is a species of shrubby herb that grows in the undergrowth of mangroves of south-east Asia.

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 (Ilex).

The fruit is a square-shaped capsule, which explodes when ripe, projecting the seeds up to two metres from the plant.

[1] The leaves of Acanthus ebracteatus, noted for their antioxidant properties, are used for making Thai herbal tea in Thailand and Indonesia.