Diliwariw
Acanthus ilicifolius · Holy mangrove
- Names in the book
- Diliwariw, Dolo-ariw, Tig̃log, Lagiwlagiw, Tag.; Titiw, Vis.; Dulawari, Pam.
- Colours
- flowerblue, violet
- Native range
- Mangroves from India to Australia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Very common in regions inundated by salt water.
- Family
- Acanthaceae, filed in the book under Acanthaceæ
- Printed as
- Acanthus ilicifolius, L.
- Sources
- Page 185 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Acanthus ilicifolius, commonly known as holly-leaved acanthus, sea holly, and holly mangrove, is a species of shrubs or herbs, of the plant family Acanthaceae, native to Australia, Australasia, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. It is used as medicine in asthma and rheumatism.
Excerpt from “Acanthus ilicifolius” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 45 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 5 provinces: Davao del Norte (3), Bulacan (1), Capiz (1), Davao del Sur (1), Basilan (1).
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
We are not familiar with the medicinal uses of this plant in the Philippines, but believe that its sole use is in the soap-making industry; the ash of the plant is rich in soda and potash salts and lye is prepared from it.
In Goa the leaves, rich in mucilage, are used locally in fomentations for rheumatism and neuralgia. Rheede mentions as useful the application of the bruised sprouts to snake bites. Bontius attributes expectorant properties to the plant. The natives of Siam and Cochin China use it as a cordial and as a medicine for paralysis and asthma.
In Concan the sweetened decoction of the plant with a little cumin seed is given for dyspepsia with pyrosis.
Botanical description
A plant about 3° high, stem straight, beset with sharp eminences. Leaves opposite, membranaceous, lanceolate, pinnatifid, large teeth ending in prickles. Petioles very short, 2 thorns at the base. Flowers purplish white in spikes. Calyx double; the outer one of 2 parts, the inner 4. Corolla bell-shaped, lower lip broad, keeled, fleshy, notched above. Upper lip wanting, a notch in its place. Stamens 4, didynamous. Ovary superior, conical. Style of equal length with stamens. Stigma bifid. Seed vessels 2-celled, each cell with 2 heart-shaped, flattened, rough seeds.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Phytostabilization of arsenic and associated physio-anatomical changes in Acanthus ilicifolius L
- Integrating Activity-Guided Strategy and Fingerprint Analysis to Target Potent Cytotoxic Brefeldin A from a Fungal Library of the Medicinal Mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius
- Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling Provide Insights into Flavonoid Synthesis in Acanthus ilicifolius Linn