Weed Identification

Australia > > Pink Pampas Grass

Pink Pampas Grass

Cortaderia jubata

Family: Poaceae.

Form: Grass

Origin: Native to Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Flowers/Seedhead: Seedhead: A large pink to pale purple (fading with age) plume-like seedhead to 0.9 m long; held on hollow jointed stems (culms), well above the arching leaves. Flowers January to April.

Description: Tussocky perennial to 4.5 m tall. Leaves to about 2 m long with a prominent midrib and sharp edges of forward facing short teeth. A rim of hairs at the base of the leaf blade (ligule) up to 3 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by drooping leaves compared with erect leaves for Cortaderia selloana. Inflorescences of Cortaderia jubata are held high above the arching leaves.

Dispersal: Seed is wind borne for many kilometres. Also spread from whole plants dumped into bushland and along stream banks.


Pale pink flowerheads of C. jubata held
high above leaves

Notes: Introduced as an ornamental and now a major weed. Plants female only, but produce seeds without fertilisation (apomixis). Tolerant of wet conditions, it grows in saturated soils and on high ground where summer rainfall is adequate. Cortaderia jubata is the most aggressive of the three species naturalised in Australia, and the most common weedy Cortaderia in NSW and Victoria and is replacing Cortaderia selloana as the major weedy Cortaderia species in Tasmania.

References:

    Noxious Weeds of Australia. W. Parsons and E. Cuthbertson, 1992, pages 103–104. Flora of Victoria. N. Walsh and T Entwisle (eds), 1996, Vol. 1, pages 546–548. Flora of NSW. G. Harden (ed), Vol. 4, 1993, pages 565–566.

Web References: Search Australian web sites for further information on this weed.

C. jubata flowerhead
after flowering
Left to right: juvenile;
leaf showing midrib;
leaf sheath & ligule

This weed has been included in the WEEDeck field guide as card G01

More information about WEEDeck is available from Sainty & Associates Pty. Ltd.

 

Australia > > Pink Pampas Grass

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