PAMPAS GRASS

Pampas grass, with its long, graceful plumes, is especially noticeable throughout the Los Angeles area during the fall season.

The common name for about 24 species of tall perennial grasses native to South America and New Zealand, pampas grass (cortaderia) was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant. It also is grown commercially here, and its plumes are often dyed and used to form colorful, decorative bouquets.

Pampas grass grows in clumps up to 10 feet tall. The silvery white flowers of the plumes contrast sharply with the stark colors of other grasses and shrubs common to Southern California’s chapparal country. The plumes, which top narrow leaves up to 6 feet long, reach lengths of up to 2 feet. Upon careful examination, thin, threadlike strands can be seen at the end of the plume, hanging gracefully toward the ground.

Pictured here are clumps of pampas grass towering above passing cars along Highway 118 near the Ventura County communities of Somis and Camarillo.

A huge plain in Argentina, the Pampas, is named for the grass, which once covered the region. Since the late 19th Century, it largely has been replaced by crops such as alfalfa, wheat and maize.