Mike Lyle wrote:
No, I did see your post, thanks. As I said in my OP, yes, the Greek word
does mean "spiny"; but I still don't see why bears would wear thorny
pants. Looking at it as hairy rather than spiny could persuade one of a
resemblance between the plant and an ursine back end, I suppose.

Ha! It's says further, the acanthus leaf was a favorite decoration in
classical sculpture, as in the capital of the Corinthian column. In
England the bear has been dressed up and it is now called 'bear's
breeches' despite long standing authority to the contrary.

I didn't know Bear-wort (_Meum athamanticum_), what we call Spignel,
varie Baldmoney and Bishopsweed, had a reputation for helping with
uterine conditions; but if it does, I'd be surprised if the "bear" in
the name had anything to do with that. One of the OED quotations refers
it to "the lower viscera", but I'd take that as guts rather than the
womb.

Well yes. I would have always named taraxacum officinale for helping
uterine conditions -as we say in France '****enlit' )

For something completely different:- I wondered if you would know the
best way, or perhaps just 'a way' of distinguishing a viral desease
from a fungal desease. I find it almost impossible to distinguish the
two. Some start by being viral then turns into fungal deseases... I
need two examples of each, and 2 more for bacterial infection. Can you
help with something I can remember easily?