濱刺草屬

Spinifex littoreus Spinifex littoreus female plant drawing Credit: CC Hsu

Perennials; clums stout, solid, hard, glabrous, robust, strongly tufted, with long-creeping and rooting stolons, with groups of short internodes alternating with long internodes. Leaf ligule a fringe of hairs; blades narrowly linear, more or less rigid. Inflorescence a spike-like raceme; pistillate racemes very much reduced, with 1-2 spikelets at base of long stiff rachis, staminate arranged in capitate fascicles, interrupted with accessory spathaceous leaves and prophylls, fascicles solitary or accompanied by another fascicle; rachis of racemes rigid. Spikelets ovate-oblong, subterete, acute, muticous. Staminate spikelets in small numbers, alternate and dorsal in shallow cavities of rachis; lower glume abaxial; spikelets articulate with short pedicel, 2-flowered; palea and lodicules well developed; stamens in each flower 3, anther linear. Pistillate spikelets: rachis with 1 spikelet at base, very rarely with 2 spikelets; spikelets tradily deciduous as a whole at maturity, driven by wind along beach, ultimately shedding spikelets in fruit, or getting into sea, and floating to other shores.

About three species distributed in East Asia, Indo-Malay, Australia and Pacific islands; one species in Taiwan.

Lower Taxon

• Spinifex littoreus (Burm. f.) Merr.