Cortaderia selloana
Poaceae tribe Danthonieae
pampas grass, silver pampas grass, Uruguayan pampas grass
2-4 m, usually 2-4 times as long as the panicles.
primarily basal;
sheaths mostly glabrous, with a dense tuft of hairs at the collars;
ligules 1-2 mm;
blades to 2 m long, 3-8 cm wide, mostly flat, cauline, ascending, arching, bluish-green, abaxial surfaces glabrous basally.
30-130 cm, only slightly, if at all, elevated above the foliage, whitish or pinkish when young.
15-17 mm;
calluses to 1 mm, with hairs to 2 mm;
lemmas long-attenuate to an awn, awns 2.5-5 mm;
paleas to 4 mm;
stigmas exerted.
and florets not separating easily from the rachilla.
= 72.
Cortaderia selloana
Poaceae tribe Danthonieae
Cortaderia selloana is native to central South America. It is cultivated as an ornamental in the warmer parts of North America. It was thought that it would not become a weed problem because most plants sold as ornamentals are unisexual, but it is now considered an aggressive weed in California and Bendigo, Australia. The weedy Australian plants are bisexual (Walsh 1994).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
See subfamily description.
The Danthonieae, the only tribe in the Danthonioideae, include approximately 13 genera and 290 species, most of which grow in mesic to xeric, open habitats such as grasslands, heaths, and open woods. It is most abundant in the Southern Hemisphere, with only Danthonia being native in the Northern Hemisphere.
Two of the genera recognized here, Karroochloa and Rytidosperma, are frequently included in Danthonia, from which they can be distinguished by the tufts of hairs on their lemmas. It is much more difficult to identify a character, or combination of characters, that will consistently distinguish them from each other. Glume length works in this Flora because of the species involved, but it is not generally reliable.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Culms 200-700 cm tall; inflorescences plumose, 30-130 cm long | Cortaderia |
1. Culms 2-100 cm tall; inflorescences not plumose, 0.5-12 cm long. | → 2 |
2. Lemmas with hairs in 1 or more transverse row(s) above the callus and/or at midlength. | → 3 |
3. Panicles subcapitate; glumes 3.5-7 mm long | Karroochloa |
3. Panicles narrow; glumes 8-15 mm long | Rytidosperma |
2. Lemmas glabrous or, if with hairs, the hairs not in transverse rows. | → 4 |
4. Plants annual | Schismus |
4. Plants perennial. | → 5 |
5. Lemma apices entire, acute to acuminate | Tribolium |
5. Lemma apices bifid, obtuse, acute, or acuminate | Danthonia |
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
LA Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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