Cortaderia jubata
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| Cortaderia jubata | ||||||||||||||
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| Cortaderia jubata (Lem.) Stapf |
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Cortaderia atacamensis |
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. This grass is native to the northern Andes but it is well-known elsewhere as a noxious weed, such as in California, where it was presumably introduced as an attractive ornamental plant. This grass has only pistillate parts, that is, all individuals are female. It reproduces by apomixis, in which embryos develop without fertilization. This pampas grass has long, thin, razor-edged leaves forming a large tussock from which the eye-catching inflorescences arise. At the top of a stem several meters in height is an inflorescence of plumelike spikelets. These panicles are pink or purplish when new and they gradually turn cream or white. Each inflorescence is packed full of fruits which develop despite the plant's having never been fertilized. Each plant produces millions of seeds per year. They disperse easily by several methods, including wind, water, and soil transport. This plant grows well in the conditions provided by the cool, moist California coast. It is a common weed of Redwood National and State Parks, as well as beaches and roadsides throughout the state. It competes with native vegetation, interferes with the natural scenery of the unique redwood ecosystem, harbors pest species such as rats, and produces large amounts of dry foliage which is a wildfire hazard.
