Grass

African feather grass

African feather grass

Identified by the straw yellow flowers with a purplish tinge that are present from December to April.

Chilean needle grass

Chilean needle grass

The sharp, needle-like tips of the seeds can penetrate skin and their backward-pointing bristles make them hard to remove.

Himalayan fairy grass

Himalayan fairy grass

Brought to New Zealand as an ornamental garden plant. Gardeners loved it for its ever-present flowers year round and hardiness.

Marram grass

Marram grass

Initially introduced for dune stabilisation but instead causes large, steep dunes. 

Mexican feather grass

Mexican feather grass

An extremely tough, thin densely tufted, perennial tussock grass that grows up to 70cm tall.

Nassella tussock

Nassella tussock

Native to South America and was accidentally introduced to NZ in the late 1800’s.

Reed sweet grass

Reed sweet grass

Erect grass which grow aggressively to form large dense mats, usually found in nutrient-rich water and wet ground.

Saltwater paspalum

Saltwater paspalum

Originally from the Americas it was introduced to New Zealand primarily as a turf grass for coastal golf courses. 

Spartina

Spartina

A clumping grass that is found in inter-tidal zones of coastlands and wetlands.

Stout Bamboo Grass

Stout bamboo grass

A tufted perennial grass with whorled branches that are bamboo-like in appearance.