triffid

plural triffids

1. A fictional plant, able to move around and kill people with a poisonous stinger

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

   2003, Allen Paterson, Trees for Your Garden, page 180

2. colloquialAny of the sea anemones of the genus Aiptasia with poisonous tentacles, which are a pest in aquaria.

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

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

   2 more examples

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

   2000 February 8, Silvaa, “betta w/ plant”, in rec.aquaria.marine.misc (Usenet)

   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.

   2006, Tropical Fish Hobbyist

3. Any large, fast-growing and hard-to-remove weed, such as the flowering shrub Chromolaena odorata.

   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.

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

   2 more examples

   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.

   1975 March 6, Patrick Ryan, “Top Pop Tomato”, in New Scientist, page 584

   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.

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