Thorny flower

"red. No touch!"

- Whittle

Thorny flowers, also described as spiky things, prickly plants, plants, prickly flowers, spikes, and s, are red plants that serve as obstacles in several Mario games. They are first seen in Super Mario Galaxy.

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, prickly plants damage Mario or Luigi when touched, and the only way to destroy them is by attacking them with a rubbery bulb, spinning a coconut into them, having Yoshi eat them, or rolling into them in Rock form.

There are three types: the standard variant, a larger variant, and a floating variant. The larger variants, after being destroyed by a coconut, reveal a Sling Star or Launch Star leading to another planet. The floating variants serve as obstacles in various areas, and they are more common in certain galaxies, such as the Gusty Garden Galaxy, the Yoshi Star Galaxy, and the Tall Trunk Galaxy.

When touched by the Co-Star Luma, prickly plants retract their spikes, allowing Mario or Luigi to pass over them safely without needing to destroy them.

Super Mario 3D Land
Thistles later appear in Super Mario 3D Land, being first encountered in World 4-1. As of this game, their thorns are stubbier and are arranged in a globe, instead of being grown from the plant's calyx like in the previous games; their leaves also continuously rotate around their stems. They can be destroyed with projectiles (such as the Fire form's fireballs) or a tail whip in Tanooki form, or by landing on them in Statue form or touching them while invincible.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, thorny flowers make an appearance in the minigame Goomba to Maneuver, scattered on the path that the player needs to follow. The player needs to maneuver a line of Goombas between them. Goombas that touch a thorny flower are flung away, reducing the number of Goombas in the line. Thorny flowers appear in both normal and big sizes, with bigger ones becoming more common as the minigame progresses.

Mario Party: Star Rush
In Mario Party: Star Rush, thorny flowers appear as obstacles in the minigame Leafboard Hoard.