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Hairy Spinifex

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Hairy Spinifex photos

Scientific Name:Spinifex sericeus



Female Hairy Spinifex flowerhead
Female Hairy Spinifex flower-head
Photo: A J Brown

Status:
Native to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.

Plant Description:

Long-creeping, stoloniferous and rhizomatous perennial grass with decumbent to erect stems to 60 cm high. Stem nodes are hairless but leaves are silky-pubescent with silvery coloured blades. Leaves are flat to loosely inrolled, 10-35 cm long and 4-10 mm long.

Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Male flower heads are about 10-20 cm long and consist of one to several narrow clusters of spikes or racemes, each subtended by a papery bract. Spikelets are 8-14 mm long. Female flower-head almost spherical to 25 cm diameter which breaks free at maturity and rolls across the sand. Each female spikelet is about 25 mm long, is subtended by a papery bract and has a stiff stout silky-pubescent bristle to 15 cm long.

Habitat:
Dunes and sandy beaches along most of the coastline.

Comments:
This species has more recently been separated from Spinifex hirsutus which is confined to Western Australia and the western parts of South Australia. Useful in stabilising shifting sand dunes. Has probably been replaced in many areas by the introduced Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria).

Hairy Spinifex Photos

Female Hairy Spinifex plants creeping across a sand dune
Female Hairy Spinifex plants creeping across a sand dune
Photo: A J Brown
Lower leaf surface of Hairy Spinifex
Lower leaf surface of Hairy Spinifex
Photo: A J Brown

Bract subtending male flower-spike of Hairy Spinifex
Bract subtending male flower-spike of Hairy Spinifex
Photo: A J Brown

Stem node and leaf bases of Hairy Spinifex
Stem node and leaf bases of Hairy Spinifex
Photo: A J Brown

Male Hairy Spinifex flowerhead
Male Hairy Spinifex flower-heads
Photo: A J Brown

Upper leaf surface of Hairy Spinifex
Upper leaf surface of Hairy Spinifex
Photo: A J Brown

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