Not one step further! - Of thorns and barbed wire

From nature ...

The North American Osage orange [Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C.K.Schneid.] protects itself with strong thorns. One can hardly get through an older thicket of this species unharmed, because the thorns protrude in all directions.

That is why farmers liked to use the plant to demarcate their house and yard: In about 3 years cuttings grow into a dense hedge.

... in technology

In order to be able to protect large areas more quickly, alternatives were sought.

With the natural model in mind, several inventors independently created "thorny" wires. In 1873, J. F. Glidden, J. Haish and L. Ellwood came up with the most practical solution by winding short wires around each of two twisted long wires. Two years later, 270 tons of barbed wire had already been produced industrially.

The invention had an immense impact on development in North America, as the previously freely accessible prairies were firmly divided up within a short time. Barbed wire was also used in warfare to ward off unwanted intruders and poses a high risk of injury to anyone who comes into contact with it.

Image captions

The Osage orange bears a pointed spike in each leaf axil. Since their orientation changes constantly, the thorns point in all directions.

The invention: Short wires are wound around twisted long wires.

The barbed wire, modeled on the Osage orange made it possible to quickly demarcate large areas.

Text of the information board in the Botanical Garden