31 
o’rass Spiniffj hirsHfus which caps the ramparts aloiio’ 
the ocean boacli and extends down tlie beach reaching 
nearly to higli-tide mark. Its long, rapidly lengthening 
rhizomes quickly colonise newly deposited sand and it 
appears to be at its best when being continually buried 
by blown sand. Tlie Spin! f ex is assisted in the work of 
early stabilisation of the dunes by another very efficient 
sand Innder, Oenothera (Jr-tnuondii Hook. (Evening prim- 
rose.) I'lns is a prostrate species forming a dense mat which 
rises as a rounded cushion as the blown sand is trapped. 
Like the Spinifex, it is at its best only when being con- 
tinually buried by dry sand, but while >^pinifex tends to 
preserve the more gentle contours of the dune Oenothera 
tends to tliroAV it into rounded hummocks or mounds often 
several feet across. Once established it is generally more 
effective than Spinifex in maintaining the dune, and 
where wind erosion is taking place, the presence of Oeno- 
thera results in erosion into sand stacks each capped by a 
densely branched clump of this species. 
Another early arrival on newly formed dunes is the 
goat’s foot convolvulus, Ipomoea pes-eaprae. The purplish 
stems, rooting at the nodes, can often be traced for 20 ft. 
or more over the sand, and though tolerant of some bury- 
ing it cannot generally withstand being covered to the 
extent often experienced without harm by Hpinijex. The 
fleshy pig-face (Carpohrofus aeqi(dateru^) is a fourth 
species appearing fairly early on the dunes. The prostrate 
stems bear densely placed fleshy leaves, triangular in 
cross section, which often turn orange-red with age. 
Where less sand movement occurs Hpinifex and Oeno- 
thera are still dominant but each is mucli less vigorous 
than on more recent dunes, the Spinifex producing fewer 
rhizomes and the Oenothera occurring as small sparse 
plants rather than the large cushion-like or mat-like clumps. 
As well as the Ipomoea and Carpohrotus several other 
species occur with them on more stable dunes. Probably 
the most coniTuoii of these is the prickly couch, Zoj/sia riiae- 
lantha, hut with it occur frequently RtaekhouHia spathulata 
Sieb. Eragrostis interrupta and at times, other species 
such as Sonchus maritmvis Tj , S'xievoJa suar^olen:^^ Onio- 
thera sp., Tschaemum triticemn R.Br., Oxalis eorniculafa 
L., Carex pumila Thunb. and S^enecio lautus Foret. 
Beside the main road at the southern end of the spit 
is a sniHll group of trees, one of the few remnants of the 
scrub which at one time extended south as far as F^urfers’ 
Paradise about 3 miles away. The species comprising this 
group are Banksia integrifolia, CAipayiiopsis anacardioides. 
