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Pampas or Jubata Grass

Cortaderia spp.

Plant Description

Perennial; leaves are long flat or folded basal leaves with sharp serrated margins. Leaves arise from tufted base. Tall flower plumes at end of very long stems. Pampas grass – silvery white (female) or pale violet (male) flowers with bluish-green leaves. Jubata grass – pinkish to deep purple flowering (asexual) with bright green leaves. Pampas grass has stems that are generally equal to or slightly longer than tufted base height. Jubata grass has stems generally at least two times as long as tufted base height. Junata is B-listed by ODA.

Plant Details

Life Forms
Habitats
ODA Listing
Soil and Moisture Conditions
Suggested Actions
Shade Preference
Mature Height 6-23'
Distribution Mostly found along the coast of CA and southern OR. Found sporatically throughout the rest of the US.
Control Pull seedlings, cut larger plants and remove root mass. Cut before seeds mature.
Disposal Methods Turn uprooted plant upside down and leave in a dry place. Cover seed heads thoroughly to prevent wind dispersal. Alternatively bag seed heads and remove.
Reproduction and Spread Female plants reproduce seed, thousands of which are identical to the parent plant and spread via wind. Can also spread vegetatively from tillers or fragments of mature plants into moist soils.
Introduced Native to Argentina and the Andes.
Look Alikes blue oat grass, Chinese silver grass, feather reed grass, muhly grass
Impact Converts shrublands into grasslands, can prevent forest re-establishment in forests that have been burned or distrubed. Colonizes roadsides and graded areas.
More Info
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