glo·chid

(glō′kĭd)

One of the small, easily detached, barbed spines on a cactus of the subfamily Opuntioideae, such as a prickly pear or cholla.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

glochid - a barbed spine or bristle (often tufted on cacti)

glochidium

pricker, prickle, spikelet, sticker, thorn, spine - a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf

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References in periodicals archive

cactorum females on host plants were recorded by classifying the attachment of the eggstick to either a glochid at an areole, to a spine, or on the fruit.

Egg parasitoids attacking Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in North Florida

I learned the technical term for the barbed spines of cacti (glochids) and the name for the study of plant and animal lifecycles (phenology--not to be confused with the debunked pseudoscience phrenology).

CITIZENS AFIELD: The promise of citizen science lies not only in its contributions to research, but also in its ability to transform our relationships with the natural world

It has tiny glochids rather than spines and, in the summer, it produces lemon-yellow flowers.

It's a PRICKLY SUBJECT; Cacti and succulents are on point this season. So look sharp and get some

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