a•can•thus |əˈkanθəs| - noun
1. (botany) any shrub or herbaceous plant of the genus Acanthus, having white or purplish flowers and spiny decorative leaves, native to the Mediterranean.
2. (architecture) a design based on the acanthus leaf, esp. as used in decoration of Corinthian column capitals.
Above photo taken by Mary Dimercurio Prasad in Korinthos (Corinth), Greece.