Common Name: Pampas Grass and Toetoe

Cortaderia: 

selloana (white - pampas)

C. jubata (Pink Pampas)

and C. richardii (ToeToe)

The three Pampas species flower at varying times commencing with C. richardii , then C.jubata  and finally C. selloana  A single plant is capable of producing as many as 30 flowers, with millions of seeds, that under the right conditions can travel with the wind as much as 25 km from the parent plant. Pampas can also spread via seed contaminated soils and gravels when these are transported from site to site.

It has been planted in New Zealand and Australia by earlier settlers and has now become a pest because of its rapid distribution abilities.It loves bogs, swamp lands and poor soil and the leaves have very sharp edges.

The flowers are wonderful if you are a child as they have great long, strong stalks, huge feathery flower heads, speaking as one who used to spend hours playing with them as a child! Half the fun was trying to get one from the huge clump without cutting your hands and then getting the stalk to succumb to copious amounts of pulling.. Perhaps as an adult, gloves and secuteurs are a better idea!