Cortaderia | |
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Cortaderia selloana pampas grass | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Subfamily: | Danthonioideae |
Tribe: | Danthonieae |
Genus: | Cortaderia Stapf [1] [2] |
Type species | |
Cortaderia argentea (Nees) Stapf | |
Synonyms [3] | |
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Cortaderia is a genus of plants in the Poaceae or grass family of plants. [4] [5]
All current species included in the Cortaderia genus are native to South and Central America, ranging from the Patagonia region of southern Chile and Argentina, to Costa Rica. [4] [5] For many years, five species native to New Zealand were included in the genus, but since 2011 these have been since reclassified into the genus Austroderia containing only species native to New Zealand. [6] [7]
The common name pampas grass, though strictly referring to C. selloana, is frequently applied to all species in the genus, as well as the five former members reclassied into the genus Austroderia (sometimes also to species of Erianthus and Saccharum ravennae ). The name of the genus is derived from the Argentine Spanish word cortadera, which in turn refers to the sharp serrations on the leaves. [8] Cortaderia jubata and C. rudiuscula produce copious seed asexually. [9]
Cortaderia species are perennial grasses, characterised by robust culms and feathery inflorescent plumes held high above the foliage.Some species are relatively short, forming rounded hedgehog-like clumps less than 0.5 m tall, but many species, including Cortaderia selloana and Cortaderia jubata form wide tussocks, up to 4 m tall. Rhizomes or stolons are rare but some species, particularly the taller species, can form tussocks almost as wide as their height. [10] [11] [12]
Across South America, the genus is a major component of the C3 temperate grasslands, from Tierra del Fuego in the far south, north to Venezuela (with some species extending to Costa Rica). They can be found from the Serro do Mar Atlantic coastal mountains near Rio de Janeiro to the Andes in Ecuador. At the southern extreme, species naturally grow at sea level, and in the Andes, certain species can be found growing up to 4500 m at the equator, where they make up a major component of paramo habitat. [10] [12]
Several species of Cortaderia have been extensively planted in gardens or cultivated landscapes around the world, particularly Cortaderia selloana, having been planted as an ornamental garden plant outside of South America since the 19th century. [13] [14]
Many varieties or selections of Cortaderia selloana are or have been available, including variegated, silver leaved and dwarf varieties. The following varieties have received an Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS): 'Silver Feather', [15] 'Pumila', [16] 'Patagonia', [17] 'Montrosa', [18] 'Evita', [19] 'Aureolineata', [20] and 'Sunningdale Silver'. [21]
Cortaderia jubata, and to a lesser extent Cortaderia selloana, can be used as green forage during dry summer months being able to be grazed to 30-50cm of the plant's base and be used as a substitute for hay, with plants having been used in the past for forage in New Zealand and California. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] Both species have also been used as a means of erosion control and planted as a windbreak and to provide shelter. [9] [27] [25] [26]
Cortaderia selloana and Cortaderia jubata are considered invasive species in several disjunct parts of the world, capable of forming dense, often impenetrable, stands, and can damage grazing lands, interfere with afforested areas, affect visibility on roads and hinder access to certain natural areas, such as the margins of streams. [25] [26] In parts of the world with high forest or bush fire risk, the build up and slow decomposition of leaf litter and standing dead leaves produce large amounts of flammable material and increase fire-related hazards. [27] [25] [26]
In regions where either species is considered invasive, plants are able to rapidly colonize areas, including grassland plains, dunes, sparse shrublands and riverine habitats, particularly those that have been disturbed or altered by humans in the past, such as disused farmland or afforested land. [25] [26]
Cortaderia selloana is considered invasive on the Atlantic coast of Europe across an 'Atlantic arc' ranging from Portugal to France, particularly in the Cantabria province of Spain. [26] [28] [29] In Califoria, it is recorded as having colonized land in at least 19 counties. [30] It also occurs in many Micronesian islands, South Africa and Hawaiian islands, being classed as a noxious species in New Zealand and some states of Australia. [26] It is one of the emerging invasive species with the greatest potential range in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, especially in grasslands. [26] [31]
Cordateria jubata, has similarly escaped from cultivation and become problematic especially in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and parts of the United States. C. jubata is listed as a noxious weed in California, Hawaii and Oregon, and as a grade 1 invasive species in South Africa. [25] [9]
see Austroderia Chionochloa Chusquea Phragmites
Aa is a genus of plants of the family Orchidaceae.
Chusquea is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina.
Calamagrostis is a genus of flowering plants in the grass family Poaceae, with about 260 species that occur mainly in temperate regions of the globe. Towards equatorial latitudes, species of Calamagrostis generally occur at higher elevations. These tufted perennials usually have hairless narrow leaves. The ligules are usually blunt. The inflorescence forms a panicle. Some may be reed-like.
Cortaderia selloana is a species of flowering plant in the Poaceae family. It is referred to by the common name pampas grass, and is native to southern South America, including the Pampas region after which it is named. It is widely distributed throughout the world as a cultivated ornamental and an invasive species.
Pampas grass or pampas-grass is a common name which may refer to any of several similar-looking, tall-growing species of grass:
Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. Ornamental grasses are popular in many colder hardiness zones for their resilience to cold temperatures and aesthetic value throughout fall and winter seasons.
Pennisetum is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. They are known commonly as fountaingrasses. Pennisetum is considered a synonym of Cenchrus in Kew's Plants of the World Online.
Mandevilla is a genus of tropical and subtropical flowering vines belonging to the family Apocynaceae. It was first described as a genus in 1840. A common name is rocktrumpet.
Gynerium is a monotypic genus of Neotropical plants in the grass family, native to Mexico and Colombia, Central America, South America, and the West Indies. It is classified in its own tribe Gynerieae.
Lepechinia is a genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It includes several species of plants known commonly as pitchersages. Plants of this genus can be found in Central and South America, Mexico, California, Hispaniola, and Hawaii, although the species in Hawaii is probably a human introduction. Many of them bear attractive pitcher-shaped flowers, often in shades of purple. The genus was named for the Russian botanist Ivan Ivanovich Lepechin. In 2011, the two monotypic genera Chaunostoma and Neoeplingia were shown to be part of Lepechinia.
Muhlenbergia is a genus of plants in the grass family.
Polypogon is a nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known beard grass or rabbitsfoot grass.
Axonopus is a genus of plants in the grass family, known generally as carpet grass. They are native primarily to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas with one species in tropical Africa and another on Easter Island. They are sometimes rhizomatous and many are tolerant of periodic submersion.
Cortaderia jubata is a species of grass known by several common names, including purple pampas grass and Andean pampas grass. It is similar to its more widespread relative, the pampas grass C. selloana, but it can get quite a bit taller, approaching seven meters in height at maximum.
Parodiolyra is a genus of Neotropical plants in the grass family.
Gouinia is a genus of Latin American plants in the grass family.
Jarava ichu, commonly known as Peruvian feathergrass, ichhu, paja brava, paja ichu, or simply ichu, is a grass species in the family Poaceae native to the Americas. It is found growing in a vast area: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile, and Argentina. It is a common grass of the Andean altiplano. It is used as fodder for livestock.
Austroderia is a genus of five species of tall grasses native to New Zealand, commonly known as toetoe. The species are A. toetoe, A. fulvida, A. splendens, A. richardii and A. turbaria. They were recently reclassified in 2011 from the genus Cortaderia, although their distinctiveness had been recognized as early as 1853.
Austroderia richardii, syn. Cortaderia richardii, is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is an evergreen perennial grass. The genus Austroderia is often confused with "pampas grass", which usually refers to Cortaderia selloana. "Early pampas-grass" is a more specific name. The name "tussock grass" may also be found. The Maori name is "toetoe". It is one of five species commonly called toetoe in the genus Austroderia that are endemic to New Zealand. It occurs in the South Island and possibly also in the North Island. It is also an introduced species in Tasmania, Australia.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Data related to Cortaderia at Wikispecies Media related to Cortaderia at Wikimedia Commons