Triodia (plant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Triodia (plant) |
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| Triodia pungens (green) and Triodia basedowii (blue-grey) | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chloridoideae |
| Tribe: | Cynodonteae |
| Subtribe: | Triodiinae |
| Genus: | Triodia R.Br., 1810 |
| Synonyms | |
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Triodia is a type of grass that grows in large, rounded clumps called hummocks. It is found only in Australia, which means it is endemic there. People often call this grass spinifex. However, it's important to know that it's different from another type of grass also called Spinifex, which grows near the coast.
In central Australia, Triodia is known as tjanpi. Aboriginal Australian women use this grass for basket weaving, creating beautiful and useful items.
There's even a free app called SpiKey that helps identify the 28 different types of Triodia found in the Pilbara region of Australia.
What is Spinifex?
Triodia is a perennial grass, meaning it lives for more than two years. It grows in dry, desert-like areas of Australia. The leaves are long, usually about 30–40 centimetres (12–16 inches) in length. They are shaped like an awl, which means they are thin and pointy.
The tips of these leaves contain a lot of silica, a hard, glass-like substance. If a leaf tip breaks off in your skin, it can cause irritation or even lead to infections.
How People Use Spinifex
For a very long time, Aboriginal Australians have used spinifex in many ways. It was a very important plant for their daily lives.
- Food: The seeds of the spinifex plant were gathered. People would grind these seeds into flour to make seedcakes.
- Glue: The plant produces a sticky substance called Spinifex resin. This resin was a strong glue, often used to attach stone heads to spears.
- Communication: People would burn spinifex to create Smoke signals. The smoke is thick and black, making it easy to see from far away. This helped different families and groups communicate across long distances.
- Shelter and Trapping: One specific type of spinifex, Triodia wiseana, was used for building shelters. It was also bundled together to help trap fish in creek beds. The Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma people call this type of spinifex baru, and in English, it's known as hard spinifex.
Types of Spinifex
There are many different types of Triodia grass. Here are some of them:
- Triodia acutispicula
- Triodia aeria
- Triodia angusta
- Triodia aristiglumis
- Triodia aurita
- Triodia barbata
- Triodia basedowii – buck spinifex
- Triodia biflora
- Triodia bitextura
- Triodia brizoides
- Triodia bromoides
- Triodia bunglensis
- Triodia bunicola – southern porcupine grass
- Triodia burbidgeana
- Triodia bynoei
- Triodia caelestialis
- Triodia claytonii
- Triodia compacta
- Triodia concinna
- Triodia contorta
- Triodia cremmophila
- Triodia cunninghamii
- Triodia danthonioides
- Triodia desertorum
- Triodia dielsii
- Triodia epactia
- Triodia fissura
- Triodia fitzgeraldii
- Triodia helmsii
- Triodia hubbardii
- Triodia inaequiloba
- Triodia integra
- Triodia intermedia – winged spinifex
- Triodia inutilis
- Triodia irritans – porcupine grass
- Triodia lanata
- Triodia lanigera
- Triodia latzii
- Triodia longiceps
- Triodia longiloba
- Triodia longipalea
- Triodia marginata
- Triodia melvillei
- Triodia microstachya
- Triodia mitchellii – buck spinifex
- Triodia molesta – porcupine grass
- Triodia pascoeana
- Triodia plectrachnoides
- Triodia plurinervata
- Triodia procera
- Triodia prona
- Triodia pungens – gummy spinifex
- Triodia racemigera
- Triodia radonensis
- Triodia rigidissima
- Triodia roscida
- Triodia salina
- Triodia scariosa – porcupine grass
- Triodia schinzii
- Triodia secunda
- Triodia spicata
- Triodia stenostachya
- Triodia tomentosa
- Triodia triaristata
- Triodia triticoides
- Triodia uniaristata
- Triodia vella
- Triodia wiseana
See also
In Spanish: Triodia para niños
