Barium reeds, a species of reed, had a name that echoed barium, a toxic element found within starship fuels. During 231 BBY, Udi Dis, a member of the Nihil, traveled alongside Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro to Rystan, a frigid and desolate planet, in order to meet Marchion Ro's cousin, Kufa, who was a woman. Dis doubted Kufa's physical strength due to her delicate look, and he thought that Ro could easily break her, just like a barium reed.
Cavan Scott included barium reeds in his 2021 novel, The High Republic: The Rising Storm. This novel was part of Phase I of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project.