Is it to protect the flower from being harvested?
2007-01-04 09:35:19 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
I read some wonderful answers to the same question on another site, one of them thought that is was so roses can climb, up things and get at the sunlight.
2007-01-04 20:23:49 · answer #1 · answered by Peta C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Roses in nature (species roses) are generally scramblers--that is, they reach for sunlight by growing up and over obstacles, the obstacles usually being competing plant life. The rose thorns (technically they are prickles, not thorns) enable the rose to grab on to other plants and grow up towards the sun.
Rose prickles are not particularly good protection for the plant; any gardener whose roses have been completely eaten by deer or rabbits can tell you this!
Incidentally, the difference between a prickle and a leaf is that a prickle is a modified leaf, while a thorn is a modified stem.
2007-01-05 09:59:10 · answer #2 · answered by hoov 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not so much of harvesting, but more about animals eating them. When roses were only growing wild, the thorns protected them from deer and such. Now that man has cross bred them so much they have thorns, but nothing like they used to have.....(p.s. I'm a florist)
2007-01-04 10:45:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is protection...why does a porcupine have quills type of thing.
2007-01-04 09:42:39 · answer #4 · answered by ÐIESEŁ ÐUB 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is its protection `
2007-01-08 09:10:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To remind us that beautiful things can hurt you. No pain, no pleasure.
2007-01-04 09:44:14 · answer #6 · answered by jekin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋