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  4. Spinifex sericeus

Spinifex sericeus

Parengarenga Harbour, East Beach.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Flower head with both male and female flowers; Castlecliff Beach, Whanganui (CHR 625899).<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 01/02/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Riversdale.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 01/05/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Moana Roa Conservation Area. Nov 2007.<br>Photographer: Vivienne McGlynn, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Male inflorescence Moana Roa Conservation Area. Nov 2007.<br>Photographer: Vivienne McGlynn, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Riversdale.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 01/05/2006, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Te Werahi Beach, Cape Reinga.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/11/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Te Werahi Beach, Cape Reinga.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/11/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Staminate flowers. Te Werahi Beach, Cape Reinga.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 06/11/2007, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Lyall Bay.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Parengarenga Harbour, East Beach.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Parengarenga Harbour, East Beach.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Mt Maunganui.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 30/12/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Mt Maunganui.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 30/12/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Mt Maunganui, spinifex growing amongst pingao.<br>Photographer: Jesse Bythell, Date taken: 30/12/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Mangawhai Wildlife Reserve, north of Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/07/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/07/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/07/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/07/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/07/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Piha, west Auckland.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/06/2013, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Male flowers of spinifex, Castlecliff Beach, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 29/10/2017, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Fallen male and female heads with detached seeds and bracts off females; Castlecliff, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 01/04/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Fallen female heads with detached seeds and bracts; Castlecliff, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 01/04/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Detached seeds and bracts off female (seed) heads; Castlecliff, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 01/04/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
New Chums beach, Whangapoua, February.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
New Chums beach, Whangapoua, February.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Dense fruiting on female plant, Castlecliff dunes, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 27/12/2018, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Palliser Bay.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 20/02/2010, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
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Common name

spinifex, kōwhangatara

Synonyms

New Zealand plants have long been referred to Spinifex hirstutus Labill. a species that is now considered quite unrelated and confined to Western Australia

Family

Poaceae

Authority

Spinifex sericeus R.Br.

Flora category

Vascular – Native

Endemic taxon

No

Endemic genus

No

Endemic family

No

Structural class

Grasses

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

SPISER

Chromosome number

2n = 18

Current conservation status

  • Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017

The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley.

2012 | Not Threatened

Previous conservation statuses

2009 | Not Threatened

2004 | Not Threatened

Distribution

Indigenous. Common throughout New Zealand. Also present in Australia

Habitat

Strictly coastal where it is confined to sandy beaches. This is the main dune forming indigenous plant in New Zealand. It is usually found at the front of actively accumulating foredunes. Its does not tolerate stable dune systems and does not compete well with other introduced dune plants.

Features

Stoloniferous, often forming colonies stretching to 80-(160) m along sand dunes, with much-branched, knotted, rope-like, hard, creeping culms. Leaf-sheath leathery, strongly-nerved, silky-hairy. Ligule minute, ciliate, hairs very dense to 6 mm. Leaf-blade c.300 mm, inrolled and c.1.5 mm diameter, leathery, strongly nerved, silky-villous. Culm 2.5-6.0 mm diameter, internodes glabrous, silky-villous below inflorescence. Dioecious*: male inflorescence with numerous pedunculate racemes, 0-120 mm, bearing up to 15 silky-villous spikelets, each terminated by a short bristle c.10 mm; raceme clusters subtended by spathaceous bracts ¡Ü raceme. Male spikelets 100 mm; glumes ¡Ü spikelet, 7-9-nerved; lemmas similar to glumes but less villous, 5-nerved; each floret with 2 emarginate lodicules 0.6 x 0.3 mm, and 3 pollen-filled anthers to 6 mm. Female inflorescence very conspicuous, globular, appearing spiny with strict bracts to 150 mm, disarticulating from culm at maturity and wheeling along sand; spikelets solitary, hidden at base of bract, 15-18 mm; glumes equal to spikelet, 5-7-nerved, silky-villous; lemmas shorter, less villous, rather chartaceous, 3-5-nerved; lower floret sterile; upper floret female, larger, with 2 lodicules c.1 x 1 mm, and 3 stamens with stout filaments bearing white, pollen less anthers up to 1.5 mm; ovary 1.5-2.0 mm, stigma-styles 17-20 mm; seed free, c. 4.5-5.0 x 2.5 mm. * but stems with both male and female flowers are known

Similar taxa

None - the distinctive softly spiny female seed heads, which disarticulate and are usually seen rolling down the beach readily identify this species.

Flowering

September - December

Flower colours

White

Fruiting

November - May

Propagation technique

Easily grown from fresh seed (which is best). Can be grown from layered pieces but often slow to start and fickle. Does best when planted directly into sand dunes - not a good plant for the average garden.

Where To Buy

Sold by a number of specialist native plant nurseries. Popular plant for dune restoration.

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (June 2005). Description adapted from Edgar and Connor (2000).

References and further reading

Edgar, E.; Connor H.E. 2000: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 5. Landcare Research, Christchurch.

Gardner, R. 1999. Spinifex sericeus in Auckland. Auckland Botanical Society Journal, 54: 36

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