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File:Thorns_on_a_blackberry_branch_in_Norrkila.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ201851· pop 76· linked from 716 articles

spinose structure

Also known as thorn, prickle, spine, spinose teeth, spinose apical process

modified shoots, leaves, roots, or extensions of cortice and epidermis

AI overview

A spinose structure is a sharp, pointed outgrowth on a plant—such as a modified shoot, leaf, root, or extension of the outer plant tissue—that serves as an adaptation for protection or other survival purposes. These spine-like structures matter because they help plants defend themselves against herbivores and can also aid in water conservation or other ecological functions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Description

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “spinose structure” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.