Spinifex (kÅwhangatara; Spinifex sericeus) is a native New Zealand grass that is crucial for stabilising sand dunes by trapping sand, which helps build and maintain them. It thrives in raw, shifting sand and is tolerant of salt spray, dryness, and wind.
It has distinctive silvery, hairy leaves and grows in a creeping manner with long runners that trap sand. The plant is dioecious (male and female plants are separate), and the female plants produce unique, ball-like seed heads that roll along the beach to spread seeds.
It is outcompeted by the introduced marram grass, which stabilises the dunes and creates unfavourable conditions for spinifex.