Describing plants that produce fruit with spines, thorns, or prickly coverings.
From Greek 'akantha' (thorn) + 'karpos' (fruit) + '-ous' (having the quality of). The term combines two Greek roots to describe a botanical characteristic.
Chestnut and thistle seeds prove this concept—they wrapped themselves in armor to protect their babies from being eaten, evolving spiky fruits as bodyguards!
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