Triffid

In the novel, the origin of the triffid species is never explained. The main character, Bill Masen speculates as follows:

My own belief . . . is that they were the outcome of a series of ingenious biological meddlings—and very likely accidental, at that. Had they been evolved anywhere but in the region they were, we should doubtless have had a well-documented ancestry for them.[2]

The 1962 film adaptation portrays them as extraterrestrial lifeforms transported to Earth by comets, contradicting the novel.

In the 1981 TV series, the triffids were the creation of real-life Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko. The seeds were spread across the globe when a plane smuggling them out of Russia was shot down during the Cold War.

In the 2009 two-part TV series, the triffids are a naturally occurring species from Zaire, discovered by the West and selectively bred as an alternative to fossil fuels, to avert global warming.

For Wyndham's explanation of the true origin of the triffids, see David Ketterer, "John Wyndham's World War III and His Abandoned *Fury of Creation* Trilogy" in Future Wars: The Anticipations and the Fears, ed. David Seed (Liverpool University Press, 2012), 103-29.

Triffid refers to the plant's three "legs", from trifidus,[3] Latin for "split into three parts".[4] Several real plant species are named trifidus, including Erigeron trifidus, Juncus trifidus, and Rubus trifidus.

The first triffids appear in equatorial regions. Although they develop faster in tropical zones, triffids soon establish themselves worldwide outside the polar and desert regions. When it is discovered that triffids are carnivorous, they are almost exterminated, until they are identified as the source of valuable oil, and farms are built to cultivate them.

Upon discovery that docking their stingers renders them harmless, docked triffids soon become fashionable in public and private gardens. These triffids are safe provided they are pruned annually, as they take two years to fully regrow their stings (note: farmed triffids are not docked because undocked triffids produce better oil).

A botanical drawing of a triffid by Bryan Poole for the Science Fiction Classics (1998)

The plant can be divided into three components: base, trunk, and head (which contains a venomous sting). Adult triffids are typically 7 feet (2.1 m) in height. European triffids never exceed 8 feet (2.4 m), but in tropical climates they can reach 10 feet (3.0 m).

The base of a triffid is a large muscle-like root mass, comprising three blunt appendages. When dormant, these appendages draw nutrients, as on a normal plant. When active, triffids use these appendages to propel themselves. The character Masen describes the triffid's locomotion thus:

When it "walked" it moved rather like a man on crutches. Two of the blunt "legs" slid forward, then the whole thing lurched as the rear one drew almost level with them, then the two in front slid forward again. At each "step" the long stem whipped violently back and forth; it gave one a kind of seasick feeling to watch it. As a method of progress it looked both strenuous and clumsy—faintly reminiscent of young elephants at play. One felt that if it were to go on lurching for long in that fashion it would be bound to strip all its leaves if it did not actually break its stem. Nevertheless, ungainly though it looked, it was contriving to cover the ground at something like an average walking pace.[2]

Above the base are upturned leafless sticks which the triffid drums against its stem. The exact purpose of this is not explained; it is originally assumed that they are part of the reproductive system, but Bill Masen's colleague Walter Lucknor believes they are used for communication. Removal of the sticks causes the triffid to physically deteriorate.

The upper part of a triffid consists of a stem ending in a funnel-like formation containing a sticky substance which traps insects, much like a pitcher plant. Also housed within the funnel is a stinger which, when fully extended, can measure 10 feet (3.0 m) in length. When attacking, a triffid will lash the sting at its target, primarily aiming for its prey's face or head, with considerable speed and force. Contact with bare skin can kill a person instantly. Once its prey has been stung and killed, a triffid will root itself beside the body and feeds on it as it decomposes.

Triffids reproduce by inflating a dark green pod below the top of the funnel until it bursts, releasing white seeds (95% of which are infertile) into the air.[2]

It is not clear whether the triffids are intelligent or acting on instinct. The character Lucknor states that although triffids lack a central nervous system, they display what he considers intelligence:

And there's certainly intelligence there, of a kind. Have you noticed that when they attack they always go for the unprotected parts? Almost always the head—but sometimes the hands. And another thing: if you look at the statistics of casualties, just take notice of the proportion that has been stung across the eyes and blinded. It's remarkable—and significant.[2]

The triffids also show awareness by their habit of herding blind people into cramped spaces to kill more easily[5] and rooting themselves beside houses, waiting for the occupants.[6]

A triffid, on a poster for the 1962 film adaptation

The triffids portrayed on screen and in sequels often differ in appearance from Wyndham's original concept.

In Steve Sekely's 1962 film adaptation, the triffids (now given the binomial name Triffidus celestus) were designed with flaying tentacles below their stems, which they use as slashing weapons and to drag their dead prey. Also, their stinger is shown as a gas-propelled projectile, rather than a coiled tendril. Finally, the film triffids are vulnerable to sea water.

The 2009 TV adaptation shows the triffids dragging themselves with prehensile roots which can also constrict their prey. Their stalk is surrounded by large agave-like leaves and they secrete their oil (green rather than the novel's pink) from their surfaces. Their stingers, which in previous film adaptations could not penetrate glass, are powerful enough to shatter windows, like those of the original triffids of the novel. Instead of a cup they have a pink flower-like head, resembling a cross between a lily and a sweet pea, that enlarges before releasing the sting.

In The Night of the Triffids, a small number of North American triffids reach 60 feet (18 m) in height.[7] Aquatic triffids also appear but remain largely unseen, with the exceptions of their stingers: the latter described as prehensile.[8] One character in the novel, Gabriel Deeds, speculates that the vibrations made by the triffids'sticks serve as a form of echolocation.[9]

A sign in Kloof encouraging the elimination of the Chromolaena odorata weed