Loreyu (helicoradian)
From the Early Pandora Wiki Canon Na'vi legend Real world Wiki lore
The loreyu (Na'vi for "beautiful spiral"), called the helicoradian in English, is one of the best-known plants on Pandora. It appears in the first Avatar film, when Jake touches a cluster and they all spin down into the ground. Canon
What the films and guides say
- It is a zooplantae: a living thing that is part plant and part animal. Canon
- It has one big spiral leaf, usually bright orange. Canon
- When touched, it coils up and pulls itself down into the ground, hiding from animals that might eat it. Canon
- It grows in groups, so one curling up sets off its neighbours one after another, like dominoes. Canon
- The Na'vi can walk among them without triggering them. If loreyu suddenly start curling up, the Na'vi know danger is near. Canon
- The Na'vi use the leaves for robes, clothes, tents and bags. Canon
How it hides
Wiki lore says the loreyu's stem is a long, springy coil, like the cord of an old telephone, stretched up toward the light. Its root is a muscle-like bulb buried in the soil. When the leaf is touched, a tiny signal races down the stem, the bulb pulls, and the whole plant zips down into its hole in about a second. A few minutes later, when all is quiet, it slowly uncurls again. Wiki lore
The spreading wave that sets off the whole group is real-world science too: many Earth plants send electrical signals through their stems when they are touched or bitten, warning the rest of the plant. Real world
How to walk among loreyu
Na'vi children learn to walk through a loreyu grove without setting one off. Wiki lore says the rules are: Wiki lore
- Walk slowly, and put your feet down softly.
- Do not brush the leaves with your hands or tail.
- Breathe out before you pass, so your breath does not stir the leaves.
- If one curls up, stop, stay still, and wait for it to come back.
Life cycle
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Seed | Tiny spiral seeds spin away on the wind like little propellers. Wiki lore |
| Sprout | A thumb-sized orange shoot. Even this small, it curls up when touched. Na'vi legend |
| Young plant | One spiral leaf, about knee-high to a Na'vi. Wiki lore |
| Grown plant | A tall spiral leaf, taller than a human in some groves. New sprouts grow around it in a ring. Canon Wiki lore |
Because new plants sprout around the parent, old loreyu groves often grow in wide rings. The most famous is Ninat's Spiral, said to have grown from the very first loreyu. Wiki lore
In legend
The Na'vi legend says the loreyu descends from the Taktswìkyu. After the Great Hunger, Ninat found one tiny sprout grown from the last seed. It grew a single spiral leaf and ate only what it needed. When she touched it, it curled up and hid, remembering the hungry time. Ninat named it loreyu so no one would think it greedy. Na'vi legend
| Taktswìkyu (long ago) | Loreyu (today) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | About 30 feet tall | Small enough to fit along a riverbank |
| Leaf | One giant rolled-up trumpet | One spiral leaf |
| Colour | Orange with purple stripes | Bright orange |
| Food | Ducks, and lots of them | Sunlight, rain and a few tiny bugs |
| When touched | Bent and swayed, but never hid | Curls up and hides |
| Attitude | Always hungry, took too much | Careful, takes only what it needs |
Look closely at a loreyu and you can still see the family likeness: the twist of the old corkscrew stalk lives on in its spiral. Wiki lore
The loreyu and the Na'vi
- An alarm. A wave of loreyu curling up in the distance means something big is moving, perhaps a thanator. Canon
- Clothing. Dried leaves are soft and strong, good for robes, tents and bags. Canon
- A teacher. Toddlers are walked past loreyu and told the one-minute story "Why the Loreyu Hides." Wiki lore
- A farewell. Loreyu are planted where loved ones are laid to rest, as at Ateyo's Bend and Ninat's Spiral. Wiki lore
Its Earth cousins
Real Earth plants can sense touch too. The sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica, folds its leaves in a second or two when poked. Tiny cushions at the base of each leaf quickly let water out, so the leaf goes floppy and folds, like letting air out of a balloon. The loreyu's reaction is a much bigger, more dramatic version. Real world
Scientists think Mimosa folds up to look less tasty and to shake off insects. Some experiments suggest it can even "learn": when dropped gently over and over without harm, it stops folding, and seems to remember this for weeks. You can grow one from seed from a garden store! Real world