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Prickles on a blackberry branch. In plant morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles, and in general spinose structures (sometimes called spinose teeth or spinose apical processes), are hard, rigid extensions or modifications of leaves, roots, stems, or buds with sharp, stiff ends, and generally serve the same function: physically defending plants against herbivory.
Gymnosporia heterophylla, the common spike-thorn, is a small, hardy, deciduous African tree up to 5m tall, occurring in rocky places with a wide distribution from Ethiopia, the Sudan and the Congo, south to the Cape Province and west to Angola and Namibia, as well as the neighbouring islands of Madagascar and Saint Helena, with a closely related species from Mauritius.
It is commonly known as the pioneer spike-thorn or common spike-thorn. [3] ... (15 centimeters) in length; [6] the longest unbranched thorns of any Dicot, ...
Putterlickia, variously called spikethorns, false spike thorns, mock spike thorns and bastard spike thorns, are a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine and bittersweet family Celastraceae, native to South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Endophytic bacteria in their roots produce maytansine.
Honey locusts commonly have thorns 6–10 cm (2 + 1 ⁄ 2 –4 in) long growing out of the branches and trunk, [15] some reaching lengths of 20 cm (8 in); [5] these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters. [4] The thorns are modified branches and occasionally sprout leaves. [10]
Like all such species, every part of the plant contains deadly toxins that can kill animals (including humans) that ingest it. Its fruit, red-brown when ripe, has unusually long thorns or spikes. The species was first described in 1756 by Linnaeus. Ferox means "strongly fortified," referring to the fearsome-looking spines on the seed pod.
Flowers occur as clusters of off-white or cream-coloured terminal spikes which are fragrant and bloom during spring and summer. [1] The timber, resembling that of Acacia melanoxylon , often has heart rot , but when sound is of good quality and handsomely streaked in black, dark brown, purple and cream, with markedly contrasting off-white sapwood.
The thorns are easily able to puncture human skin, and when successful, the piercing causes a slight inflammation and severe pain. Their dense thorny structure makes them particularly valued in situations where an impenetrable barrier is required.