Description
Ammophila arenaria is a species of grass known by the common names European marram grass and European beach grass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila (marram grass). It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming stiff, hardy clumps of erect stems up to 1.2 meters in height. It grows from a network of thick rhizomes which give it a sturdy anchor in its sand substrate and allow it to spread outward. These rhizomes can grow laterally by 2 meters in six months. One clump can produce 100 new shoots annually. The rhizomes tolerate submersion in sea water and can break off and float in the currents to establish the grass at new sites. The leaves are thick and coated in a white waxy cuticle. They are up to 1 meter long and sharply pointed. The cylindrical inflorescence is up to 30 centimeters long. It is adapted to habitat made up of shifting, accreting sand layers, as well as that composed of stabilized dunes (source Wikipedia). This Picture is made in the Sand Dunes of the Marker Wadden (the Netherlands) in October 2022.
