Prickly Spear-grass

Scientific Name:

Austrostipa stipoides

Prickly Spear-grass plant
Photo: a J Brown

Status:

Native to the southern coasts of Australia and to New Zealand.

Plant Description:

Tufted perennial grass typically forming large tussocks with erect stems to 80 cm tall and smooth, non-hairy, closely inrolled leaves to 70 cm long and 1 mm wide with sharp tips.

Flower-heads, contracted panicles to 20 cm long. Spikelets with straw-coloured glumes and one floret. Florets 8-13 mm long, brown when mature and covered in short, spreading white hairs. Awns twice bent, 20-40 mm long.

Habitat:

Sea-cliffs and the edges of beach dunes and marshes. Generally growing in sandy soils.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Western, Gippsland	S0, S1, S2, S3	W0, W1, W2

*confined to coastal environments

Comments:

Common from Port Phillip Bay to East Gippsland with an isolated occurrence at Nelson near the south Australian border. Withstands strong winds and salt-spray.

Spikelets of Prickly Spear-grass showing exserted anthers
Photo: A J Brown

Prickly Spear-grass flower-heads
Photo: A J Brown

Prickly Spear-grass spikelets
Photo: A J Brown

This page contains material sourced from the Victorian Resources Online (VRO) website, originally published by the State Government of Victoria.

The content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence (CC BY 4.0 AU).

This material is presented in an archived form and is no longer maintained or updated. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon as current advice.

This site is hosted by the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), Federation University Australia. It is not endorsed by Agriculture Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria does not accept liability for any loss, damage or consequences arising from the use of, or reliance on, this material.