Grasses Weed profiles & Native alternatives
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Marrram Grass
Marram Grass
Ammophila arenaria
Tufted strongly rhizomatous (with spreading underground rooting stems) perennial grass 0.7-1.2 m
high with numerous long, blue-green, tightly rolled leaves. The seed head is dense and cylindrical, 10-30 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. Widely planted for dune stabilisation.
Threat / Problem
• Rapidly spreads and covers dunes. Native grasses do not compete well against the rapid growth rates and sand gathering.
• Marram Grass changes coastal landforms, producing large steep-faced dunes of a different shape from the
dunes created by native plants. These steep dunes are more susceptible to wave erosion which leads to coastal recession and loss of beach nesting sites for shoreline birds.
Spread
• Reproduces vegetatively and from seed. Rhizomes take root when buried and seeds are dispersed by wind and water.
Control
• Selective grass-specific herbicide.
Marrram Grass
GROW ME INSTEAD
Woolly Mat-rush
Woolly Mat-rush
Lomandra leucocephala ssp. robusta
Small, robust, perennial tussock, with grass-like leaves, 30-80 cm long, 0.1-0.2 cm broad. Flowers are dense ovoid heads or thick cylindrical spikes 1.5-5 cm long and 1-2 cm thick, having a white, woolly appearance, enclosing the stem. Flowering mainly from April to August, the fruit is an ovoid capsule, 0.6-0.7 cm long, white, smooth, almost hidden in the wool.
Attractive plant for rock gardens. The strappy leaves of this tufted plant will provide year round interest in the garden. Will grow in semishade. Easily propagated from seed and division of larger plants.
Woolly Mat-rush
OR GROW ME
Coast Spear-grass
Coast Spear-grass
Austrostipa stipoides
A densely tufted perennial grass to 1 m high with prickly leaves to 70 cm long. Flowering heads are arranged in dense, narrow panicles to 25 cm long. The awns (single bristles on seeds) are bent twice and up to 4 cm long. It flowers from October to March and grows in coastal and saltmarsh areas. It is a beautiful arching grass tinged brown and a standout all year that should be cut to the ground in spring. Useful as a stabiliser in coastal rehabilitation.
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