In many gardens and parks in the warm or subtropical areas of the world, very high grass is often found, making them look like feather dusters on top of each stem. The Cortaderia Selloana is a very easy to grow plant, in fact, it spreads so easily and quickly that it can be very invasive. It is important to control its growth to be able to enjoy its ornamental beauty without having problems.
At next we will tell you everything about her.
The Cortaderia Selloana has its origin in South America, specifically in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay . It lives in areas where the precipitation is not very abundant, adapting to the drought of the place.
Characteristics of the Cortaderia Selloana
This plant has the characteristic of having a wide territory that spans from southern Brazil to northern Patagonia. So it can be said that there are a large number of them, due to the climate and the conditions of the terrain.
Its growth occurs in places and / or soils with sandy characteristics, soils with high humidity and waterlogged soils, although they can also grow in humid areas without any problem.
The truth is that when this plant reaches its final growth phase, it tends to reach a maximum height of just over three meters. Despite its simplistic and inconspicuous design for many, it is an ornamental plant used in various parts of the world .
The plant at its end has a series of seeds, which are used for bird feeding and later the cultivation of the plant . As for its leaves, these can be up to 1.5 meters long and tend to have an elongated shape and its texture is quite hard.
On the other hand, its leaves, despite having such a large size, have a very reduced width, about 1 cm wide. Something curious about its leaves is that it has sharp margins , this is why the plant is called that, due to the large number of hard hairs and they tend to be sharp if touched by hand or something soft.
As for its flowers, they tend to bloom in summer and can measure up to 70 cm long . It should be noted that there are female and male flowers. To be able to differentiate one from the other, it is enough to know the width of these. To be more exact, the female flowers are much thicker than the male ones and the latter tend to be more hairy.
The wonderful thing about this species is that it has different varieties , so its flowers will be a little different in terms of colors. The color palette of its flowers is located between white and hot pink.
As you may well know, this plant is grown massively in Europe and New Zealand for ornamental purposes, but its seed is also used to feed birds. On the other hand, it is not necessary to have a large land to cultivate or have this plant, much less have a large space due to its height that exceeds 3 meters.
It can be perfectly kept in small gardens if it is properly maintained from time to time. It can be as tall as it can be seen in its natural habitat, or as small as a pumilla.
The plant is quite light, but because the plant is invasive, it is strictly prohibited in Spain , to the point of sanctioning any person who comes to plant, cultivate and distribute it.
Regarding its roots, these tend to be standard , so it does not need special care. This particularity gives it the ability to adapt to a large number of environments, although there are other plants with higher requirements in the surroundings.
Its great adaptability to different types of soil makes it an easy species to plant and cultivate. This in principle is also due to the large number of seeds that the plant has throughout its life.
Approximately a million seeds and for each time it blooms, it has enough to spread and multiply excessively quickly. In the event that you intend to have this plant in cold places, you should know that it can withstand a minimum temperature of -18 ° C.
In the case of dry places, the pampas gras can also be adapted to soils that are dry and arid. Especially those lands that lack the capacity to retain enough water to allow various plant species to grow.
As such, it is a species that resists a wide variety of terrains and environments . The only thing you need to be “good” is to prune it once a year and depending on where you have it much more often.
Being this the only care that the plant needs, for the rest it is quite strong and resistant against the multiple pests that can affect plants. So you shouldn’t worry if you have any.
The same goes for pests, this is a very resistant plant against diseases. Of course, this does not eliminate the possibility that the plant may become ill at some point.
But if you compare the Cotaderia Selloana with other plants you have in your garden and if they are being affected by any disease, it will be healthy for a long time , unless it is surrounded by vegetation in poor condition. There the disease will pass to the plant after a time.
This is a plant used mainly in the ornamental field, although there are also places where they are used for flower arrangements . From the rest they have no other use besides that already mentioned, although cellulose can be extracted from their leaves.
You may not like this species at all because of its rustic and basic appearance, but if you know how to use it correctly, you can offer a better appearance to any garden or orchard you have. Keep in mind that the plant tends to be very invasive and its growth process is quite high.