Trichome facts for kids

Trichomes are structures on a plant's leaves. They look like tiny hairs sticking out from the surface of the leaf.

Trichomes are made of living cells, which can look very different. Some trichomes have one long cell. Other trichomes are a long chain of cells. They may have branches which make them look like a star.

Trichomes help to shade the leaf from the sun. They block too much wind from moving across the leaf surface. This stops too much water from leaving the leaf. Animals might not eat leaves with trichomes because they do not like the taste.

Glandular trichomes have chemicals in them. They break when the leaf is touched, and then the chemicals come out.

Images for kids

• 

  Trichomes on Cannabis, rich in cannabinoids.

• 

  Trichomes on the surface of a Solanum scabrum leaf

• 

  Trichomes on the petiole of a Solanum quitoense leaf

• 

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

• 

  Flower bud of a Capsicum pubescens plant, with many trichomes

• 

  Bud and scape of a Stylidium species, displaying the trichomes that can trap and kill insects