Your gateway to a wide range of natural resources information and associated maps

Victorian Resources Online

  1. Landform
  2. Land Use
  3. Soil
  4. Land and Water Management
    1. Catchment Management
    2. Invasive Plants
    3. Land Degradation
    4. Irrigated Agriculture
    5. Catchment Hydrology
    6. Salinity Indicator Plants
      1. Common Name
      2. Scientific Name
      3. Common Family Name
      4. Scientific Family Name
      5. Key to Families or Genera
      6. Salinity in the Loddon Murray Region
      7. Salinity in the Central and Northern Victorian Region
      8. Salinity in the Western Region
      9. Salinity in the Wimmera Region
      10. Salinity in the Mallee Region
      11. Salinity in the Gippsland Region
      12. Salinity in the Coastal Region
    7. Salinity Management
    8. Declared Water Supply Catchments

Marram Grass

Back | Salinity Indicator Plants Home | Common name home | Scientific name home | Photo Gallery | Glossary



Marram Grass photos

Scientific Name:Ammophila arenaria
Dense stand of Marram Grass
Dense stand of Marram Grass
Photo: A J Brown

Status:
Native to western Europe. Naturalised in all Australian States except Queensland and the Northern Territory. Also introduced into New Zealand, North America and South Africa.

Plant Description:

Long rhizomatous rooted and densely swarded, perennial grass with stems to 120 cm high. Leaf blades are tough and tightly inrolled to 70 cm long and 2.5 mm diameter. Leaves are smooth and hairless on the outside but ridged and pubescent on the inside.

Flower-heads are dense, cylindrical spike-like contracted panicles, 8-25 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. Spikelets are 12-14 mm long and contain a single floret.

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

Comments:
Widely planted as a sand dune stabiliser but has replaced the native Hairy Spinifex (Spinifex sericeus) in many places. Tolerant and in fact stimulated by progressive sand burials, the plant’s dense growth habit and extensive rhizomatous root system entraps mobile sand and allows the building of dunes. Unfortunately, it has been shown that the steep-faced dunes formed by Marram Grass activity, at the expense of beach and near shore sand, leads to increased susceptibility to wave erosion and subsequent coastal recession.

Marram Grass Photos

Flower-heads of Marram Grass
Flower-heads of Marram Grass
Photo: A J Brown
Rhizome and new shoots of Marram Grass
Rhizome and new shoots of Marram Grass
Photo: A J Brown

Base of Marram Grass tussock
Base of Marram Grass tussock
Photo: A J Brown

Spikelets of Marram Grass with exserted anthers
Spikelets of Marram Grass with exserted anthers
Photo: A J Brown

Page top

For information about DJPR please contact:

Phone: 136 186

National Relay Service: 133 677 or relayservice.gov.au

Email: customer.service@ecodev.vic.gov.au

Online: Contact us

Copyright

Privacy

Disclaimer

Accessibility
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions - State Government of Victoria

© State of Victoria (Agriculture Victoria) 1996 - .

Creative Commons License

This work, Victorian Resources Online, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria (Agriculture Victoria) as author, indicate if changes were made and comply with the other licence terms.


The licence does not apply to ‘branding’ or some ‘images or photographs’ that may be owned by third parties. We ask you to seek prior approval to use images using the VRO feedback form. Access to higher quality images can also be provided on request.


This page was last updated on .