''Triodia irritans'' is a species of plant that forms low and dense mounds of tough grassy vegetation. It is found on

sandplain A sandplain is an area where the soil is sand deposited from elsewhere by processes such as wind or ocean, rather than direct weathering of bedrock. Sandplains are quite flat. There may be dune systems, and given time and the right conditions the ...

s in arid regions of southern and central

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The species was first described by

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

in 1810. A common name for this and other species of ''

Triodia Triodia may refer to: * ''Triodia'' (moth), a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae * ''Triodia'' (plant), a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae {{Genus disambiguation ...

'' is porcupine grass. ''Triodia irritans'' is found on red and grey sands in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, where it dominates a plain, dune or rocky hill as tussocks. Flowering occurs throughout the year. Its leaves are sharp and can easily penetrate human skin. The plant's flammability can lead to extremely fast-moving wildfires. A minute species of

dasyurid The Dasyuridae are a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 71 extant species divided into 17 genera. Many are small and mouse-like or shrew-like, giving some of them the name marsupial mice or marsupial shrews, but th ...

marsupial, ''

Ningaui yvonneae The southern ningaui (''Ningaui yvonneae'') is a tiny marsupial carnivore belonging to the Dasyuridae family. Similar in appearance to '' Ningaui ridei'', found throughout central Australia, this species occurs in spinifex on semi-arid sandplain ...

'', favours the protection and opportunities that ''T. irritans'' hummocks provide, and is a dominant component of the vegetation in which the tiny carnivore occurs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15510733 irritans