Cortaderia is a genus of plants in the Poaceae or grass family of plants.
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. 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.
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. Cortaderia jubata and C. rudiuscula produce copious seed asexually.
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.
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.
Cultivation
Several species of Cortaderia have been extensively planted in gardens or cultivated...
