English

Noun

triffid ‎(plural triffids)

1. A fictional plant, able to move around and kill people with a poisonous stinger
   • 2003 — Allen Paterson, "Trees for Your Garden", p180

     But this should not lead to complete avoidance, as if it is like some dire incursion of triffids or ents.

2. (colloquial) Any of the anemones of the genus Aiptasia with poisonous tentacles, which are a pest in aquaria.
   • 2000 February 8, Silvaa, “betta w/ plant”, in rec.aquaria.marine.misc, Usenet:

     The plant is also very rare (related to triffids ... be wary) as it acts like a venus fly trap except it gives it's catches to the fish , a truly symbiotic relationship

   • 2003 January 5, Jason, “What is this on my rock?”, in rec.aquaria.marine.misc, Usenet:

     I too suffer from the dreaded Triffids !!! If you want a safer method of removal : I use boiling hot water and the syringe method.

   • 2006, Tropical Fish Hobbyist

     Ironically, these anemones are initially seen as a boon, the hobbyist having received "something for nothing" when the first few triffids appear in the nooks and crannies of the live rock.

3. Any large, fast-growing and hard-to-remove weed, such as the flowering shrub Chromolaena odorata.
   • 1975, March 6, Patrick Ryan, "Top Pop Tomato", New Scientist, page 584

     Perhaps the BBC could get the Radio 2 King of the Tomatoes to come back and tell us what programmes to play to discourage rampant growth in minor forests of giant bindweed, monster nettles and apprentice triffids.

   • 1999, Tim Low, Feral Future: The Untold Story of Australia's Exotic Invaders, University of Chicago Press (ISBN 9780226494197)

     But some of them are multiplying fast, and those dismissed as trivial today, because they only infest a few road verges, may well turn into triffids tomorrow.

   • 2012, Toby Buckland, Gardeners' World Practical Gardening Handbook: Traditional Techniques, Expert Skills, Innovative Ideas, Random House (ISBN 9781448140619)

     Sow them in late spring in the greenhouse or coldframe, but don't be tempted to sow any earlier otherwise they turn into triffids, hog all your greenhouse space and promote fungal diseases.

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