Best Thorny
The Lisbon Lemon is a variety of Citrus limon that originated in Portugal and was introduced to California in the mid-19th century. It is a vigorous, thorny tree that produces a heavy yield of smooth, bright yellow fruit containing high-quality, acidic juice. Historically important to the citrus ind...
Bougainvillea 'Barbara Karst' is a popular hybrid cultivar prized for its intense red-magenta bracts and exceptional heat tolerance, making it one of the most widely planted bougainvilleas in warm climates.
Bougainvillea glabra is a thorny South American woody vine native to Brazil, widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its vivid papery bracts that surround inconspicuous true flowers.
The porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) is a species of stingray found in coastal waters throughout the Indo-Pacific region. It is uniquely characterized by its complete lack of a venomous tail spine. Instead, this ray relies on passive defense, possessing numerous sharp, thorny denticles covering...
Bougainvillea spectabilis is a vigorous woody climber native to Brazil, one of the first bougainvilleas introduced to Europe in the late 18th century during Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition.
Rosa rugosa, commonly known as the rugosa rose, is a hardy, deciduous shrub native to eastern Asia, including China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. It belongs to the Rosaceae family and is easily identified by its densely wrinkled, textured leaves and stems equipped with numerous sharp prickles. T...
Bougainvillea 'Sanderiana' is a widely cultivated variety of Bougainvillea, a thorny ornamental vine native to South America. The cultivar produces abundant rosy-purple bracts surrounding small, cream-colored flowers throughout warm months. Like other bougainvilleas, it thrives in full sun and well-...
Ribes uva-crispa (European gooseberry) is a shrub native to Europe and western Asia cultivated for its edible berries since the medieval period, with hundreds of named varieties developed in Britain by the 19th century.
The thornback ray (Raja clavata) is a species of skate found across the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Iceland and Norway down to South Africa, as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It is named for the rows of prominent, thornlike spines covering its dorsal surface and tail. The species typi...
Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose) is a coastal shrub native to eastern Asia, naturalized across temperate regions worldwide, notable for its disease resistance, fragrant flowers, and large vitamin C-rich hips.
Chaenomeles speciosa (flowering quince) is a Chinese native shrub introduced to Western horticulture in the late 18th century, grown for its vivid red, orange, or white flowers appearing before the leaves in early spring.
Hippophae rhamnoides, the Sea Buckthorn, is a thorny shrub native to Europe and Asia distinguished by its silvery leaves and bright orange berries, which are remarkably rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Bougainvillea is a genus of thorny, woody vines belonging to the four-o'clock family, Nyctaginaceae. Native to the tropical and subtropical regions of South America, these plants produce vibrant, colorful displays that come not from their small, white true flowers, but from specialized, papery leave...
Prunus spinosa, commonly called blackthorn or sloe, is a deciduous, spiny shrub in the rose family native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It produces dense white blossom on bare branches in early spring before the leaves appear, followed by small, astringent blue-black fruits known as slo...
Chaenomeles japonica, commonly known as Japanese quince, is a deciduous, thorny shrub native to Japan. It is widely cultivated for its bright orange-red blossoms that emerge in abundance during the early spring. Following the flowering period, the plant produces small, hard, aromatic fruits that are...
Robinia hispida, commonly known as Rose Acacia, is a deciduous shrub native to the Appalachian region of the southeastern United States. It belongs to the Fabaceae family and is easily identified by its stems and leaf stalks covered in dense, bristly hairs. In late spring to early summer, the shrub...
Pyracantha coccinea (scarlet firethorn) is a shrub native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, widely planted for its dense clusters of long-persistent scarlet berries and use as an impenetrable security hedge.
The starry ray (Amblyraja radiata), also known as the thorny skate, is a species of marine ray found across the North Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Iceland and Greenland to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and southward along the coasts of Europe and North America. The species is characteri...
Hystrix freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon hystrix) is a South American freshwater stingray described by Müller and Henle in 1841, found in the Paraná and Paraguay river systems of Argentina and Brazil.
Pyracantha coccinea, the scarlet firethorn, is a thorny evergreen shrub in the family Rosaceae native to southeastern Europe and the Himalayas. It is characterized by its sharp, sturdy thorns and dense clusters of small white flowers that bloom in late spring. The flowers develop into vibrant red, b...
Pyracantha rogersiana, commonly known as Rogers' firethorn, is an evergreen shrub in the rose family that is native to western China, particularly the Yunnan province. Like other members of its genus, it features stiff, thorny branches that make it an effective barrier plant when grown as a hedge or...
Chaenomeles speciosa, commonly called flowering quince, is a dense, spiny deciduous shrub native to China. It is cultivated chiefly for its red, pink, or white flowers, which appear on bare branches in late winter or early spring before the leaves fully emerge. The plant also produces hard, aromatic...
Shepherdia argentea, commonly known as silver buffaloberry, is a deciduous shrub native to central and western North America. It belongs to the Elaeagnaceae family and is capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with root bacteria. The plant features silvery foliage, s...
Darwin's barberry is an evergreen Chilean shrub discovered by Charles Darwin during the Beagle voyage in 1835 and subsequently introduced to British cultivation by plant hunter William Lobb in 1849.
Gooseberry is a deciduous shrub native to Europe, distinguished by its sweet-tart berries and a history of targeted eradication programs in early 20th-century United States.
Smilax rotundifolia is a thorny, native North American vine whose tough, tangled thickets provide critical wildlife cover and whose berries are a winter food source for over 40 bird species.
A spiny evergreen European shrub producing coconut-scented yellow flowers nearly year-round, now naturalized on six continents and listed among the world's most problematic invasive species.
Wintergreen Barberry is an evergreen shrub native to central China, notable for its formidable spines and introduction to Western cultivation by Ernest Wilson in 1900.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a thorny European shrub whose white blossoms, called May flowers, have given their name to the month in English folk tradition and are used in cardiac herbal remedies.
A thorny evergreen shrub native to China and Japan, bearing intensely fragrant small autumn flowers; it has become an invasive species across the southeastern United States.
