Marram requires active sand burial to stimulate growth (like pingao), and both species go moribund when sand movement is limited 6. Marram suffers from a lack of vigour in warmer climates 4 and this has been suggested as a reason why marram is more of a conservation management problem in the cooler southern areas of New Zealand 5. New Zealand lies within marram's native latitudes of 30 to 63 degrees 2 providing a temperate climate that it favours 3. It is a silvery green coloured perennial grass, native to Europe and has been widely introduced around the world as a dune stabiliser 1. Marram grass ( Ammophila arenaria) is an exotic sand-binder and dune builder and can be found on virtually every beach in New Zealand. Threats and damage as a result of human recreation and coastal development tends not to be such a problem as many of the areas where these activities occur have already been largely denuded of pingao. In ecosystems where pingao still inhabits large areas the greatest threats are competition from the introduced plants marram grass and tree lupin, and browsing by stock, deer, rabbits and hares. The top 10 also included pohutukawa, two species of rata and the tree nettle.The threats to the continued existence of pingao are many and varied. The other two plants were Bartletts rata (Far North) and kakabeak (East Coast). In the past few decades it had been found only in the Upper Waitaki Valley and Lake Lyndon, in inland Canterbury. It had been planted along the coastal margin in front of the Brighton Surf Club and in amenity plots at the Esplanade in St Clair and along John Wilson Ocean Dr.Īlso on the top 10 were three species on the verge of extinction, including the fish guts plant, which historically was found in Otago and Canterbury and made its home in sparsely vegetated ground, such as dried out river beds. 'It's one of the few things that survives the environment, the sea spray and salt.' It could be grown in gardens although it preferred deep, sandy soil, he said.ĭunedin City Council parks and reserves team leader Martin Thomson said it had been displaced in many areas by marram grass.Įfforts had been made to reintroduce the plant, which along with its ability to trap sand, was an attractive-looking plant and hardy, he said. 'It's a really useful plant, as it holds the sand dunes together.' It could still be seen in some areas on Otago Peninsula and the Catlins.

Parts of the plant were also said to have medicinal properties.ĭepartment of Conservation botanist Mike Torsen said pikao had disappeared from Dunedin, except for areas planted by the Dunedin City Council or coastal care groups. It was also important because the yellow-green to orange leaves, when dried, were used by Maori for weaving. 'Pingao may be our only sustainable hope for coastal protection.' Network president Philippa Crisp said pikao was becoming increasingly important because of its role in stabilising sand dunes and creating a beach contour that was not so vulnerable to storm events and sea level rises.

Photo by Linda Robertson.Pikao, a plant which has almost disappeared from Otago's coast, has won the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network's 2009 favourite plant poll.Īlso known as pingao, the plant, which was considered to be in gradual decline in 2004, topped more than 100 species in the poll. Elizabeth Tagg (2) sits among the pikao plants at the Esplanade, at St Clair beach.

Pikao new zealnad