Thorns, spines and prickles facts for kids
Plants have different ways to protect themselves, and one common way is by growing sharp parts! These sharp parts help keep plant-eating animals from munching on them. Scientists who study plants, called botanists, have special names for these sharp bits: thorns, spines, and prickles.
Thorns are actually special branches that have become hard and pointy. Imagine a tiny branch that just keeps growing sharper and sharper! You can find thorns on plants like citrus trees.
Spines are sharp, stiff parts that usually grow instead of leaves, or they can be part of a leaf. Cacti are famous for their spines, which are modified leaves. These spines help protect the plant and also reduce water loss.
Prickles are different because they grow from the outer layer of the plant's stem, like tiny, sharp bumps on the skin of a plant. Think of the sharp points on a rose stem – those are prickles!
Why Plants Have Sharp Parts
These sharp parts – thorns, spines, and prickles – are like a plant's natural armor. They protect the plant from animals that want to eat its leaves, stems, or fruits. This is called defence against herbivory.
Sometimes, plants and animals have a special relationship where they change over time because of each other. For example, the acacia tree in Africa grows very long, sharp spines to protect its leaves. But animals like giraffes have also changed! They have developed very long tongues that can reach past the spines to grab the tasty leaves. It's like a never-ending game of hide-and-seek!
Gallery of Sharp Plant Parts
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Prickles on rose stems are like tiny, sharp bumps.
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A thorn is a branch with a sharp tip, like this one.
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The spines of this Ocotillo plant used to be leaves that have dried and hardened.
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These spines on an Acacia tree grow below the leaves.
Images for kids
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(A) Thorn or spine (B) Prickle. Can you see the difference?
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A leaf tip that is very sharp and pointy.
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These are "root spines" on the trunk of a Cryosophila palm tree.
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A smooth, simple thorn from a Citrus plant.
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Carissa bispinosa showing its special branched thorns.
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The small bumps (areoles) and spines of the tree-like Pereskia grandifolia.
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A hooked spine from a Mammillaria balsasoides cactus.
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Raised prickles on the stem of Caesalpinia decapetala.
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Close-up of Rose prickles.
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Prickles growing on the leaves of Solanum viarum.
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The sharp, spiny edges of a Ilex aquifolium (holly) leaf.
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The sharp, pointed tip of a Sansevieria leaf.
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Stiff, sharp hairs (trichomes) on Galium aparine.
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A stinging hair (trichome) from a Urtica dioica (nettle) plant.
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See also
In Spanish: Espina (botánica) para niños
