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jubata grass (Cortaderia jubata(Lemoine)
ODA rating: B
Other common names
pampas grass, Andes grass, selloa pampas grass, cortaderia, pink pampas grass, purple pampas grass.
Description
Jubata grass is a perennial grass that ranges six to twenty-three feet tall. Plants have long leaves arising from a tufted base or tussock. The flower cluster is a plumed panicle at the end of a very long stem. Stems generally are at least twice as long as the tussock. Plumes consist of hairy female flowers, deep violet when immature, turning pinkish or tawny cream-white at maturity. Jubata grass is easily confused with pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana). The two species are distinguished by stem height, leaf, plume, and spikelet color, florets, leaf tip, and presence of viable seed. The tussocks of jubata grass are less erect and more spreading and not fountain-like, when compared to tussocks of Cortaderia selloana.
Impacts
Jubata grass has the potential to greatly impact Oregon’s coastal ecosystems. Escaped plants crowd out native vegetation and are very competitive in forestry operations. In forests, jubata grass can out-compete seedling trees and retard their establishment and growth. It creates a fire hazard with excessive build-up of dry leaves, leaf bases, and flowering stalks. Large clumps can complicate road access and fire management activities by blocking vehicle.
Click on image to view larger photo.
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Image courtesy of Glenn Miller, Oregon Dept. of Agriculture.
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If images are downloaded and used from the ODA web site please be sure to credit the photographer.
Introduction
Jubata grass is native to northern Argentina and the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. In its native range it can be found from sea level to elevations greater than 11,000 feet. It was first cultivated in France and Ireland from seed collected in Ecuador (Costas-Lippmann 1977).
Distribution in Oregon
Map legend
Yellow: limited distribution
Red: abundant
Grey: not known to be present
Biological controls
There are no approved biological control agents available at this time.
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