Trichome facts for kids

A close-up of a plant with trichomes.

Trichomes are tiny structures found on the surface of plants, especially on their leaves. They often look like small hairs sticking out. You might even need a magnifying glass to see them clearly! These little hairs are actually made of living cells and can have many different shapes and sizes.

Some trichomes are just one long cell, while others are a chain of cells. They can even have branches, making them look like tiny stars or fuzzy spikes. These unique shapes help plants in many ways.

What Are Trichomes?

Trichomes are special growths that come from the outer layer of a plant, called the epidermis. Think of them as the plant's skin. These tiny structures are not just for show; they are very important for the plant's survival. They can be found on almost any part of a plant, including stems, roots, and even flowers, but they are most common on leaves.

How Do Trichomes Help Plants?

Trichomes act like a plant's natural defense system and a helpful tool for living in different environments. Here are some ways they help:

• Sun Protection: Just like you use sunscreen, trichomes can help shade the leaf from too much sun. They reflect sunlight, which keeps the leaf from getting too hot and damaged.
• Saving Water: Trichomes can create a tiny, still layer of air right above the leaf surface. This layer slows down the wind and helps stop too much water from evaporating from the leaf. This is super helpful for plants living in dry places.
• Defense Against Animals: Many animals and insects don't like to eat leaves covered in trichomes. The hairs can make the leaf feel prickly or fuzzy, which is unpleasant for hungry creatures. Some trichomes even have chemicals that taste bad or irritate pests.
• Collecting Water: In some plants, trichomes can actually help collect water from the air, like dew or fog. This water then drips down to the leaf surface, helping the plant stay hydrated.

Special Trichomes: Glands!

Some trichomes are called glandular trichomes. These are extra special because they have tiny glands at their tips. These glands contain and release different chemicals. When something touches the leaf, these glandular trichomes can break open, releasing the chemicals.

These chemicals can be sticky, making it hard for insects to move, or they can have strong smells that keep pests away. Some plants, like the Sundew plant, use sticky glandular trichomes to trap insects for food!

Images for kids

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  Fossil stellate hair (trichome) probably of an oak, in Baltic amber; width of image is about 1 mm.

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  Scanning electron micrograph of a trichome on a leaf Arabidopsis thaliana. The structure is a single cell.

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  Red Trichomes on a roses stem

See also

In Spanish: Tricoma para niños