spinifex

Spin"i*fex, n. [NL.; L. spina spine + facere to make.] 1. (Bot.) A genus of chiefly Australian grasses, the seeds of which bear an elastic spine. S. hirsutus (black grass) and S. longifolius are useful as sand binders. S. paradoxusis a valuable perennial fodder plant. Also, a plant of this genus. 2. Any of several Australian grasses of the genus Tricuspis, which often form dense, almost impassable growth, their leaves being stiff and sharp-pointed.

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