My #dailydigital post features the interesting beach grass called
'Spinifex Sericeus.'
I grew up spending many of my holidays at various beaches around the North Island of New Zealand and these grasses were a common sight on the sand dunes. When the seed heads became detached, and got picked up by the wind I loved chasing them along the length of the beach before eventually collapsing on the sand.
So these plants always remind me of my happy childhood. When our family immigrated to Australia, years later, I was delighted to find them here as well.
An original photo of mine was used to create this cool, funky look to the grass and I decided to frame each one to complete the picture. The spinifex in this image is separated by a large chunk of driftwood which I thought added further appeal.
Spinfifex sericeus is a dioecious perennial grass and is also known as ‘hairy spinifex,’ ‘rolling spinifex’, coastal spinifex or beach spinifex. This plant is native to New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia and Tonga.
One if its major features is its ability to bind loose sand and stabilise sand dunes due to its horizontal runners. Spinifex grows reasonably quickly and is effective in collecting wind blown sand and slow down erosion.
The branched stolons and rhizomes can reach up to 1-2 meters in length and the leaves have a ligule of a rim of thick hairs. The blades of the spinifex grass are flat and have a silky quality to them.
The male inflorescence is orange/brown in colour and contains a terminal cluster of spiky racemes which branch into silky bracts. When the female inflorescence becomes mature it detaches itself and a globose seed head containing 20 cm racemes in diameter forms into a tumbleweed.
THANK YOU FOR VIEWING. HAVE A GREAT DAY.