# Ouch, Dammit! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517 "2003-11-11T00:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517/1 "2003-11-11T00:42:34Z")
Why do rose bushes have thorns on them? I don’t know of any animal that sees them as a food source, so what are the thorns protecting? I’ve been jabbed so many times that you would think I would have learned my lesson by now, but, no, just today I got a bad puncture that’s still throbbing. Any horticulturists out there? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517/2 "2003-11-11T00:51:10Z")
Maybe the reason that no animal sees them as a food source is _because_ of the thorns. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517/3 "2003-11-11T01:43:44Z")
[Deer and bear eat rose hips](http://www.google.com/search?as_q=deer&num=10&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=rose+hips&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=off). The nasty thorns also discourage large apes from running carelessly through rose brambles and damaging the woody stems. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517/4 "2003-11-11T11:24:13Z")
The thorns also help rose plants to climb through bushes and trees (notice that they curve backwards). ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ouch-dammit/212517/5 "2003-11-11T15:12:16Z")
Be careful when you get jabbed-- I’ve heard some nasty stories about backyard-bacteria infections that people have picked up from rose thorns. Puncture wounds need to be treated carefully because they don’t bleed much and they’re easily infected.