The spike thorn was a flowering shrub native to the planet Sphinx in the Manticore System. It filled much the same niche as azaleas or laurels on Earth, attaining a maximum height of about 3.6 meters (12 feet). Its leaves were dark green and spade-shaped, and it produced very sharp thorns up to ten centimeters (four inches) in length. Its many-colored blossoms were vaguely tulip-shaped and prized for the flavor their pollen gave to honey produced by imported terrestrial honeybees. (SK3)