Cortaderia is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of 20-25 species of
grassesPoaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants. Plants of this family are usually called grasses, or, to distinguish them from other graminoids, true grasses; the shrub- or tree-like plants in this family are called bamboo...
, native to
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
(15-20 species),
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
(four species) and
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
(one species).
Names and Types in Cortaderia Stapf (Gramineae) II
Selected species
- Cortaderia fulvida (Toetoe
The name Toetoe comes from the Māori language. It covers four similar species of tall grasses native to New Zealand which are members of the Cortaderia genus. These species are Cortaderia toetoe, Cortaderia fulvida, Cortaderia splendens and Cortaderia richardii.Two closely-related South America...
). New Zealand.
- Cortaderia jubata
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...
(syn. C. quila). Northwestern South America (AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
). A large South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
n grass that produces copious seed asexuallyAsexual reproduction is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. Only one parent is involved in asexual reproduction. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which refers to reproduction without the fusion of gametes...
.
Cortaderia is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of 20-25 species of
grassesPoaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants. Plants of this family are usually called grasses, or, to distinguish them from other graminoids, true grasses; the shrub- or tree-like plants in this family are called bamboo...
, native to
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
(15-20 species),
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
(four species) and
New GuineaNew Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
(one species).
Names and Types in Cortaderia Stapf (Gramineae) II
Selected species
- Cortaderia fulvida (Toetoe
The name Toetoe comes from the Māori language. It covers four similar species of tall grasses native to New Zealand which are members of the Cortaderia genus. These species are Cortaderia toetoe, Cortaderia fulvida, Cortaderia splendens and Cortaderia richardii.Two closely-related South America...
). New Zealand.
- Cortaderia jubata
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...
(syn. C. quila). Northwestern South America (AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
). A large South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
n grass that produces copious seed asexuallyAsexual reproduction is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. Only one parent is involved in asexual reproduction. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which refers to reproduction without the fusion of gametes...
. Looks very similar to C. selloana.
- Cortaderia richardii (Toetoe). New Zealand.
- Cortaderia rudiuscula. South America (central Andes). A relative of C. jubata, also reproducing asexually.
- Cortaderia selloana (Pampas Grass). Southern South America.
- Cortaderia splendens (Toetoe). New Zealand.
- Cortaderia toetoe (Toetoe). New Zealand.
Cultivation
The species of
Cortaderia are imposing tall grasses growing 1.5-3 m tall, with graceful white inflorescence plumes. They are in widespread use as
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
s in horticultural use. The common name
Pampas Grass, though strictly referring to
C. selloana, is frequently applied to all species in the genus (and sometimes also, incorrectly, to
Erianthus and
Saccharum ravennae).
Some species, notably
C. selloana,
C. jubata and
C. rudiuscula, have become
invasive species'Invasive species' is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically...
in a number of areas, including New Zealand, coastal
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
,
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
, and some other areas. In these areas, and any area with a Mediterranean-style climate*, planting of any non-native species of
Cortaderia should be avoided.
*dry summer, mild winter; as in the Mediterranean, parts of Australia, South Africa, Chile and the Western US
The
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
binomialThe formal system of naming species is called binominal nomenclature , binary nomenclature , or the binomial classification system...
or scientific name
Cortaderia comes from the Spanish word for cutting, because the leaf edges in Cortaderia species are painfully serrated.
Selloana is named for a botanist.