Commonly known just as Spinifex, this native grass covers the beaches of New Zealand. It makes up most of the dune building planting throughout NZ. It is destinguishable by its silvery shade, although it can be confused with Elytrigia repens, commonly known as 'couch', a member of the same family (Poaceae), yet it is not a native.
This specific example was found on the south coast of the Wellington region.
Seen here are the creeping culms, that stretch out connecting distinct 'bushes', this growth method leads to the strengthening of dunes, a feature highly utilized in dune retaining efforts throughout NZ.
The female seed head, distinctive in it's spiky form helps to identify the presence of spinifex, as they are often seen 'tumbling' along the beach.
Seen in this photo is the male cluster, both male and female plants need to be present for productive spreading of the plant.