While watermelon plants grow beautiful, tasty fruits, buffalo bur just grows thousands of painful, spiky thorns. Watermelon plants dont have thorns. For Mechanical Defense 3. Conversely, knowing which plants have thorns can be important in protecting yourself and your children and pets from danger. The hardy orange (Citrus trifoliata) has extensive, sharp thorns, making it fit as a barrier plant or hedge in USDA zones 5 through 9. Identify the porcupine tomato by its long narrow, gray-green leaves with deeply lobed margins and long, sharp orange thorns growing from the leaves and stems. The defensive characteristic of holly shrubs is their spiny leaves that dont allow animals to get through the foliage. Next page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Well I have never seen that stuff here and from the description I hope I never do, but if I do it won't live long. While most have thorns the thornless barberry is essentially. Related reading: Beautiful types of hawthorn trees. The plant produces solitary yellow flowers and and a large spherical to oblong fruit. So you dont need to worry about planting other varieties nearby to make sure your plants can produce fruit. So, its always wise to use protective gear when handling a thorn bush. Herbicides containing glyphosate and/or 2,4-D (such as Roundup) can very effectively kill buffalo bur plants, but they will also kill anything else growing nearby. They feature large, showy flowers in differing colors and succulent, edible fruits. Thorns, spines or prickles are an evolutionary adaptive mechanism developed by plants to defend their fruits from grazing animals, ensuring reproduction and survival. The asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus, zones 9-11) is not a true fern but this perennial has evergreen foliage and small thorns. Blackthorn is a large deciduous shrub with masses of sharp prickles on stiff branches to keep out unwanted guests. Thorns or prickles have very pointed protrusions that are harmful when you try to touch them. Also called holly-leaved barberry or Oregon grape-holly, this medium-sized evergreen shrub grows between 3 and 6 ft. (1 1.8 m) tall. These flowers are white or yellow colored and can be male or female. Agarita is an evergreen shrub with red berries and jagged, holly-like leaves. Missouri Botanical Garden: Poncirus Trifoliata. If you are sowing the seeds indoors in seed starting pots, the depth should be 14 to 12 inch. Look at the vines foliage and feel. don't know what it is but it isn't a watermelon. He is educated in environmental science, botany, health care and English literature. It is a fairly common weed in the US. Many varieties are suitable for growing in the home garden. The Oregon grape-holly bush is perfect for growing as a decorative security hedge in shade gardens. Japanese barberry is an excellent defensive plant as a foundation planting, protective hedge or screen, or growing along a fence. Through cross-breeding, thorns can undergo great reduction. Buffalo bur does have thorns, so you're most likely dealing with buffalo bur instead of watermelon. What kind of seed does a watermelon plant need? Most of us are familiar with the oblong, dark green watermelon with vibrant, ruby red pulp, but melons may also be light pink, yellow, and even orange. These three plants are easy to distinguish. Flowering prickly hedge plants bloom in shades of red, purple, white, orange, pink, and yellow. Even newly sprouted buffalo bur plants have thorns, making handling the plant very difficult no matter how old it is. In all cases, wear thick gardening or work gloves when handling pointy plants. Tiny watermelon plants from a nursery are transplanted into soil beds. Yellow mottling on leaves; dark brown lesions on leaves; leaves curling inwards; Spread by airborne spores and water splash, Discolored stem tissue caused by Fusarium infection, Symptoms of fusarium wilt in a watermelon field, Wilting plants; wilting confined to one or more vines; foliage has a dull gray-green appearance and turns yellow as the disease progresses; vascular tissue has a red discoloration, Disease can be spread through infected seed or via contaminated water and/or equipment, Gummy stem blight lesions on watermelon foliage, Gummy stem blight lesions on watermelon stem, Symptoms of gummy stem blight on watermelon stems and leaves, Close-up of gummy stem blight lesion on watermelon leaf margin, Round or irregular brown lesions with faint concentric rings on cotyledons; brown or white lesions on crown and stems; soft, circular brown lesions on fruit; lesions on stems and fruit may be oozing an amber colored sticky substance, Fungus can be spread b infected seed, air currents or water splash; survives on plant debris in soil; disease emergence is favored by warm, wet conditions, Symptoms of powdery mildew on watermelon leaves, Reddish or bronze appearance of older leaves; obvious patches of white powdery growth on leaves, Disease emergence favored by dry weather and high relative humidity, Symptoms generally appear after fruit set; chlorotic leaves which develop necrotic areas; leaves collapsing; symptoms only on one side of vine; discoloration of vascular tissue in roots, Fungus can survive in soil for many years; disease emergence favored by cool or mild weather in Spring, Small water-soaked lesions on leaves which expand between leaf veins and become angular in shape; in humid conditions, lesions exude a milky substance which dries to form a white crust on or beside lesions; as the disease progresses, lesions turn tan and may have yellow/green edges; the centers of the lesions dry and may drop out leaving a hole in the leaf, Spread through infected seed, splashing rain, insects and movement of people between plants; bacterium overwinters in crop debris and can survive for 2.5 years, Symptoms of bacterial fruit blotch on watermelon fruit, Symptoms of bacterial fruit blotch on watermelon foliage, Small water-soaked lesions on top or sides of fruit which enlarge over surface; lesions on fruit may turn reddish or brown and crack, Spread through infected seed or water splash; disease emergence favors wet conditions, Foliage turning yellow; secondary shoots begin growing prolifically; stems take on a rigid, upright growth habit; leaves are often small in size and distorted, may appear thickened; flowers are often disfigured and possess conspicuous leafy bracts; fruits are small and pale in color, Disease is transmitted by leafhoppers and can cause huge losses in cucurbit crops, Symptoms first appear on immature fruits as small light brown spots close to the blossom end of the fruit; as fruit grow, the spots enlarge, resulting in dark leathery lesions sunken into the fruit, Watermelon varieties that produce long fruit are more susceptible to blossom-end rot. Its Solanum rostratum. How long after flowering do watermelons appear? However the weed Solanum rostratum or buffalo bur as it is commonly called has leaves similar to those of watermelon plants. All stems are thorny as anything. Bougainvillea is suitable for growing in USDA zones 9 and 10. She also runs her own lifestyle blog, Sweet Frivolity. They're purple-blue and bloom all summer. Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry have long sharp thorns at each stem node. They often bloom with pretty flowers to add curb appeal to your home, making this security component attractive and functional. Most true lemons have sharp thorns lining the twigs, although some hybrids are almost . Is a pumpkin a gourd or a melon? What do watermelon plants look like? Sow watermelon seeds 12 to 1 inch deep into the soil. 3 Does watermelon plants like coffee grounds? Even though they can scratch or poke you, gooseberry thorns aren't poisonous, though it can feel that way if you get poked in a joint. m. Eggplant, smooth, cylindrical, dark purple color. Do black raspberries have thorns? ), are annual or perennial plants with spiny leaves. If you started watermelons indoors wait until temperatures are at least 55 degrees at night to transplant them outside. Many times it is to resist the eating of herbivorous mammals. The shrub is ideal as a tall perimeter security hedge, pruned as a foundation planting, or along a fence to protect it. Some will form from the top, and curl over the vine and down into the soil. Hybrid early-ripening form with rare thorns. Some are quite frost- and heat-hardy, while others do not tolerate non-tropical climates. Identify the common holly shrub by its thorny leaves with wavy edges, abundant clusters of small white flowers, and glossy red berries that persist until winter. Watermelon plants don't have thorns. Litchi tomato and thorny tomato plants are other names for the shrub. Plant Outdoors: Best planted outside in late fall. Buffalo bur plants are only spread by seed, which means you can keep them from reproducing by cutting off any new growth before seeds form. The Japanese variety (Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea) or the William Penn variety (Berberis gladwynesis) both grow densely with attractive foliage and many thorns in the same zones. Cacti can make good ground cover around the edges of a property while requiring little maintenance. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. It looks similar to a watermelon plant very similar leaves growth form is more like a bush squash though still young All stems are thorny as anything. Conversely, knowing which plants have thorns can be important in protecting yourself and your children and pets from danger. But if you have kids or pets, knowing which plants have thorns is also important for safety reasons to prevent injuries. Look at the vines foliage and feel its texture with your fingers. The crop is suitable for long-term storage and tolerates transportation well. It's Solanum rostratum. Immature plants are often confused with horse-nettles, which display copious quantities of thorns and barbs. Manually pull out or dig up each plant. If you have trees with thorns in your landscaping, you can prevent injury by pruning the thorn-covered branches above head level. How do you identify a watermelon plant? As the vines, which should be about two feet apart, begin to run, send them up a sturdy trellis. The list of plants with thorns suitable for landscaping purposes is extensive and includes broadleaf evergreens, perennials, deciduous shrubs and trees. Odd that those original posters are no longer with us, except for andrealeev. The crop is ready to harvest within 3 months. Also, a little difficult to break. Its dense thorny structure means that the spiky shrub is suitable for protecting borders, growing as a defensive hedge, or as a specimen plant. Answer (1 of 9): A plant produces thorns generally to prevent grazing by animals and mostly of a strong woody nature . How do you tell the difference between a pumpkin and a watermelon plant? The watermelon is a vine-like plant which can grow up to 10 foot (3 meters) long. Some vines, including bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp., zones 9-11) and wild sarsaparilla (Smilax glauca, zones 4-10), have thorns, as well. This plant falls into the easy-grow category and it actually is great for new green thumbs, it is native to South America and grows up to 30cm tall so great for the Aussie climate and small spaces. Other watermelon types to pick from include different size watermelons from personal to picnic size and different flesh colors including the common pinkish/red, orange, yellow, and white fleshed varieties. Growing prickly shrubs and thorny plants requires some thought as to where to plant them. However, they will struggle to get through a hedgerow of defensive plants without injury. Identify a crown of thorn plant by its bright green leaves, colorful bracts, and thick spiny stems growing in a zig-zag shape. This article is a guide to growing thorny plants in your garden for their decorative appeal or protective characteristics to deter intruders. Some thorny plants provide both good protection and benefits to humans or local wildlife. Do watermelon plants have thorns on them? Space Between Plants: 4-6. Front Yard Evergreen Shrubs (With Pictures) Identification Guide, Types of Willow Shrubs (With Pictures) - Identification Guide, Lavender Tree: Care and Growing Guide (Watering, Pruning and More), Flowering Shrubs for Shade (Evergreen and Deciduous) With Pictures for Easy Identification, Types of Thorny Bushes and Vines (With Pictures and Names) Identification, shrub also produces clusters of bright yellow flowers.