![]() ![]() Young citrus trees produce the most thorns as they need the most protection from herbivores. Most of today’s citrus trees did not originate in the wild but are the result of centuries of plant breeding.įor example, lemons began as an intentional cross between citron (an ancient tree, still around today, that’s almost all rind and no juice), pomelo (the thick-rinded grapefruit ancestor), and mandarin (the ancestor to most hybrid citrus today).īecause all three of these parent species evolved with thorns, they gave this prickly trait to the lemon tree.Ĭitrus trees create thorns by modifying stem cells in branches to end at a sharp point. They do this by trapping moisture and dripping around the base of the plant as a slow, constant source of water. Just as starfish, thorny dragon lizards, and hedgehogs are covered in spikes and quills to deter predators, citrus trees grow thorns to protect their fruit and leaves from the mouths of browsing herbivores. Generally, it’s rare for a citrus tree to be truly thornless as the trees have developed them over many tens of thousands of years. ![]() Many gardeners prefer to plant thornless citrus trees to avoid getting their fingers pricked, but this can’t always be avoided. * Keep in mind that “thornless” not only means citrus trees with no thorns but also those with fewer thorns than average. My potted Meyer lemon tree has many thorns Which Citrus Trees Have Thorns? Thorny Citrus Trees So, why do citrus trees have thorns in the first place, and exactly which ones have them? Let’s take a closer look. Citrus tree thorns aren’t poisonous and don’t need to be removed. Only a few varieties such as Eureka lemon and Persian lime were bred to have little to no thorns. The majority of citrus trees have thorns as they were made to defend the trees against browsing herbivores and to retain water. Here’s what I found about citrus trees and thorns. So, I did some research to find out more. I looked it up online, but there’s not much information out there. ![]() We’re looking at buying more citrus trees, but we’re wondering which ones have thorns. ![]()
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