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]
Etymology
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]
Description
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 C3temperate 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]
Cultivation
Horticulture
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]
Non-ornamental uses
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]
As invasive species
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]
Cortaderia hapalotricha (Pilg.) Conert - Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Cortaderia hieronymi (Kuntze) N.P.Barker & H.P.Linder - Bolivia, Peru, Argentina
Cortaderia jubata (Lemoine ex Carrière) Stapf – Andean pampas grass - Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina; naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Oregon, California, Hawaii
Cortaderia selloana (Schult. & Schult.f.) Asch. & Graebn. – pampas grass - Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia; naturalized in parts of northern South America, Mesoamerica, West Indies, southern USA, Australia, New Zealand, Mediterranean Basin, etc.
^"Genus: Cortaderia Stapf". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
^GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora. Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
^Carl2019. "Invasive species". LIFE Stop Cortaderia - Medidas urgentes de lucha contra el plumero de la Pampa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Lambrinos JG, 2001. The expansion history of a sexual and asexual species of Cortaderia in California, USA. Journal of Ecology (Oxford), 89(1):88-98.
^Mgidi TN, Maitre DC Le, Schonegevel L, Nel JL, Rouget M, Richardson DM, 2007. Alien plant invasions - incorporating emerging invaders in regional prioritization: a pragmatic approach for Southern Africa. Journal of Environmental Management, 84:173-187.
External links
Data related to Cortaderia at Wikispecies
Media related to Cortaderia at Wikimedia Commons
