Hairy for a Reason

Trichomes

  • those fuzzy little hairs on leaves
  • are called trichomes
  • the word comes from the greek word for hair
  • so it’s quite fitting
  • the term trichome encompasses any hair like appendage on plants, algae, or lichens
  • but we’re going to talk about those found on plants
Photo by Marcy Schrum
  • the most common type of plant trichome is the hair
  • it might be unicellular
  • or multicellular
  • some are branched and tree like
  • while others are tufted or star shaped
  • any of these hair types could also be glandular
  • they could secrete some sort of oil or toxin or enzyme
  • there are lots of options when it comes to trichomes
  • why would a plant have trichomes?
  • for one it helps protect against herbivores
  • depending on the stiffness of the trichomes, they can act as palate irritants and deter any munching mammals
  • super dense trichome coatings are helpful in deflecting sunlight across a plant’s surface
  • keeping more delicate tissues safe from radiation
  • tiny hairs also disrupt air flow across the surface of plant tissue
  • reducing the effects of transpiration
  • which is the process by which plants experience water loss
  • the increase in surface area that trichomes provide is helpful to plants in areas where most of their moisture comes from fog
  • the added surface area is just more space upon which water can condense and then be used by the plant

The point is trichomes are extremely variant in both their specific characteristics and their general uses. Trichomes are so distinctive that they are used as a diagnostic characteristic in plant taxonomy. Certain plants have such specialized trichomes that they can be identified just by examining the tiny surface hairs. Incredible that it seems to so frequently be the tiniest of things that make all the difference.

Source:

“Trichome”. Wikipedia. N. p., 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.