PAMPAS GRASS

(Cortaderia selloana), one of more than 20 species of tall, reedlike Central and South American and New Zealand grasses comprising the genus Cortaderia (family Poaceae). Female plants bear silvery, plumelike flower clusters about 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) tall. Pampas grass is cultivated as a lawn ornamental in warm parts of the world.