Poverty grass

Poverty grass is a thin-leafed plant found on the planet Arrakis. This grass was used by Planetologist Pardot Kynes in his terraforming program of that planet.

It was a mutated version of the plant which had been engineered by Salim, one of Kynes's first Fremen students.

It was tested in the Station facilities, and had shown the ability to survive on only basic nutrients, airborne moisture, and a minimum of supplementary watering.

Poverty grass was planted in 12 planting zones, along the downwind sides of old dunes, where it stabilized the sand against the prevailing westerly winds. Each stabilized area accumulated a higher windward crest after each sandstorm, which would in turn be planted with poverty grass, until sifs (barrier dunes of more than 1,500 meters' height) were produced. In all but 4 of the test zones — in which the grass refused to take root — three barrier dunes were ready in a matter of months.