Prickly

This Aralia elata caught my eye today.

EDIT: The original title of this blip was Thorny. As our blip friend josh (Shiny things) pointed out this is botanically incorrect. To cite Wikipedia: Thorns are branches or stems that are modified into hard structures with sharp, pointy ends. Though thorns are similar in appearance to spines or prickles, the three structures are differentiated by the plant organ from which they arise: thorns are modified stems, spines are modified leaves, and prickles are extensions of the cortex and epidermis. Many plants commonly thought of as having thorns actually have spines or prickles. Roses, for instance, have prickles.

In Swedish a thorn is a stamtorn, a spine is a bladtorn and a prickle is a tagg.

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