What is Thorns, spines and prickles?
Botanists use three different words for sharp things on plants. They are '''thorns''', '''spines''', and '''prickles'''. '''Thorns''' are the ends of [[branch]]es that are hard and sharp. '''Spines''' are hard structures with sharp ends. There are many different kinds of spines. Some are on [[leaf|leaves]], and some grow instead of leaves. '''Prickles''' are on the outside of stems. Spines, prickles, and thorns protect plants from plant-eating animals ([[defence against herbivory]]). Some plants and animals, such as the [[acacia|acacia tree]] and [[giraffe]] have [[evolution|evolved]] in response to each other. The plants grow very long spines and the animals develop very long tongues to reach past the spines and feed on the leaves. ==Gallery== <gallery> File:Lightmatter thorns.jpg|Prickles on [[rose]] stems File:Gymnosporia buxifolia thorn.JPG|A thorn is a branch with a sharp tip File:Ocotillothron02262006.JPG|Spines of this Ocotillo were leaves that have died File:AcaciaXanthophloeaSpines.JPG|Spines on this ''[[Acacia]]'' grow below the leaves (the stem is sideways in the picture) </gallery> == References == {{Commons}} *Esau, K. 1965. ''Plant Anatomy'', 2nd Edition. John Wiley & Sons. 767 pp. *Llamas, K. A. 2003. ''Tropical Flowering Plants''. Timber Press, Portland. 423 pp. [[Category:Plant anatomy]]