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.
© Webster 1913