For some plants, in fact, are thorny, while others, again, are destitute of prickles: the species of thorny plants are very numerous. The asparagus2181 and the scorpio2182 are essentially thorny plants, having no leaves at all upon them. Some plants, again, that are prickly have leaves as well, such as the thistle, for instance, the erynge,2183 the glycyrriza,2184 and the nettle;2185 all these plants being provided with leaves that prick or sting.

Some plants have thorns at the base of their leaves, the tribulus2186 and the anonis2187 for instance; others, again, have thorns, not on the leaves but on the stem, the pheos2188 for example, known as the stœbe to some. The hippophaës2189 has thorns at the joints; the tribulus presents the peculiarity of bearing a fruit that is thorny.