awn

A stiff bristle-like projection, usually at the tip of an organ. The glumes and lemmas of grasses (Gramineae) commonly possess awns, as do some fruits, and less commonly leaves. Cereals and grasses having ears or spikes covered in awns are termed awned or bearded. An individual organ bearing an awn is termed aristate. An awn may act to bury a fruit in the soil by uncoiling in damp conditions and is so doing pushing the fruit into the ground.