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Self-defense
Selfdefense
Needlelike crystals line the blue agave’s leaves, making them an unpleasant mouthful. Animals can run from their predators, but plants have no way of escaping hungry plant eaters. Instead, they have developed some clever ways of making themselves look and taste as unappealing or dangerous as possible, encouraging animals to look elsewhere for a meal. Plant defenses range from spiky thorns to toxic chemicals.
Spiky leaf edges protect these succulent leaves.
Silver-gray crystalsCamel thorn
Fully developed thorns may grow up to 2 1⁄4 in (6 cm) long.
Tea leaves contain tannin, a bitter-tasting chemical that deters animals from eating them.
Blue agave
Spines on the stem protect the plant from hungry animals.
Tea
Thistle
These woolly leaves are difficult for insects to munch.
These swollen parts provide hollow homes for ants that help ward off predators, protecting the plant.
Lamb’s ear
To deter predators, some plants, including the camel thorn, produce sharp branches called thorns, while others, such as gorse, make sharp leaves known as spines. Prickles are extensions of the stems of plants such as roses. Another plant defense strategy is the use of chemicals. Plants, such as tea, common milkweed, and blue agave, produce nasty-tasting or irritating chemicals to put off any animal that takes a bite. The spots on passion flower leaves are a clever defense called mimicry—the plant’s leaves pretend to be infested by butterfly eggs, which deters real butterflies from looking for a “healthy” leaf.
Thorns grow up to 3 in (7 cm) long.
Pas s i o n f l ower
Common milkweed
Needlelike hairs can inject a painful mix of chemicals. The gummy white sap of this flowering plant is toxic to many plant-eating mammals.
Whistling thorn acacia
The stiff spines that cover the plant can be up to 2½ in (6.5 cm) long. Leaf spots resemble yellow butterfly eggs.
Ants live inside these swollen thorns, protecting the plant from herbivores.
Gorse
Small birds nest in spiky
gorse bushes to protect themselves from predators.
Stinging nettle
Stems and leaves are covered in tiny stinging hairs. Buds contain yellow flowers with a coconut scent.
Downward- pointing prickles grow on the stems of roses to deter predators from climbing up.
Rose
More articles from this publication:
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 192
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 184
PLANT INDEX
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 178
Plant science
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 188
INDEX
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 180
Space garden
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 182
GLOSSARY
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 176
Plants of the world
from Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom (Sarah Jose)
, page 172