California Invasive Plant Council

Cortaderia selloana

Common names: pampasgrass; white pampasgrass

Cortaderia selloana (pampasgrass) is a large perennial grass (family Poaceae) found along the coast of California, and in the Coast Ranges, Central Valley, Western Transverse Ranges, and Mojave Desert. Pampasgrass favors dunes, bluffs, coastal shrublands and marshes, inland riparian areas, and disturbed areas. It was introduced as an ornamental plant and for erosion control. Each plume produces up to 100,000 seeds that are widely dispersed by wind and develop without fertilization. Pampasgrass quickly colonizes bare ground, but establishment is generally poor where the seedlings must compete with other grasses or sedges.

Cal-IPC Rating: High?

Explanation of Cal-IPC ratings

• High – These species have severe ecological impacts on physical processes, plant and animal communities, and vegetation structure. Their reproductive biology and other attributes are conducive to moderate to high rates of dispersal and establishment. Most are widely distributed ecologically.
• Moderate – These species have substantial and apparent-but generally not severe-ecological impacts on physical processes, plant and animal communities, and vegetation structure. Their reproductive biology and other attributes are conducive to moderate to high rates of dispersal, though establishment is generally dependent upon ecological disturbance. Ecological amplitude and distribution may range from limited to widespread.
• Limited – These species are invasive but their ecological impacts are minor on a statewide level or there was not enough information to justify a higher score. Their reproductive biology and other attributes result in low to moderate rates of invasiveness. Ecological amplitude and distribution are generally limited, but these species may be locally persistent and problematic.
• Alert – An Alert is listed on species with High or Moderate impacts that have limited distribution in California, but may have the potential to spread much further.
• Watch – These species have been assessed as posing a high risk of becoming invasive in the future in California.

CDFA Rating: None?

Explanation of CDFA ratings

• A – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and is either not known to be established in California or it is present in a limited distribution that allows for the possibility of eradication or successful containment.
• B – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is of limited distribution.
• C – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is usually widespread.
• D – An organism known to be of little or no economic or environmental detriment, to have an extremely low likelihood of weediness, or is known to be a parasite or predator.
• Q – An organism or disorder suspected to be of economic or environmental detriment, but whose status is uncertain because of incomplete identification or inadequate information.
• * – An asterisk next to the rating indicates that a plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds.
• -* – This plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds, but is otherwise not rated.

More details

Assessment(s)

Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Special Reports

Weed Management Notes

• Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

• Snapshots from the field. Lindgren, Jackie; Eberwein, Amy; Parish, Julie; Chapple, Tanya. Vol 26, Issue 1
• Tracking eradication progress . Guise, Vince. Vol 21, Issue 3
• Taking to the air to locate, prioritize and treat effectively. Burger, Jutta C.. Vol 21, Issue 2
• From Chinese Cleavers to Remote Sensing: An interview with two generations of weed workers – Greg and Gavin Archbald. Darin, Gina. Vol 19, Issue 2
• Wildland Weed News. editor. Vol 17, Issue 2
• East Bay volunteers head to the hills and the shores. Schwartz, Susan. Vol 16, Issue 4
• Ravennagrass: A major wildland weed along Cache Creek. Thomsen, Craig; Meyer, Tanya. Vol 15, Issue 3
• Recommended action on invasive ornamentals. Cal-IPC. Vol 14, Issue 1
• Don’t sell a pest: A new partnership to prevent plant invasions through horticulture. Connick, Sarah; Gerel, Mike. Vol 13, Issue 2
• Which weeds dominate southern California urban riparian systems?. Burkhart, Brad; Kelly, Mike. Vol 13, Issue 1
• A tale of two invaders: The dynamic history of pampas grass and jubata grass in California. Lambrinos, John. Vol 12, Issue 3
• Wal-Mart stops selling pampas grass in California. Martus, Carolyn. Vol 11, Issue 1
• Keep it in the garden: Developing a list of non-invasive alternatives to replace invasive horticultural species in California. Stanton, Alison E.. Vol 09, Issue 3
• Exotic pest plants, Calif. Assoc. of Nurserymen, and CalEPPC. Bell, Carl E.; Evans, Mike; Wilen, Cheryl. Vol 09, Issue 1
• Richmond weed abatement ordinance. . Vol 07, Issue 1
• Killing the beast: A cooperative approach for control of Arundo donax in the Santa Ana River watershed. Stein, Eric D.; Vartanian, Valerie. Vol 05, Issue 3
• Marin supervisors establish policy against non-natives. Griffith, Quentin. Vol 03, Issue 2
• Exotic pest plants of greatest ecological concern in California September 1994. Cal-IPC. Vol 02, Issue 4
• Pampas eradication program – P.E.P. – part two. Madison, John H.. Vol 02, Issue 2
• California Exotic Pest Plant Council draft list exotic plants of greatest concern October 1993. CalEPPC. Vol 01, Issue 4
• Pampas eradication program – P.E.P. (part 1). Madison, John H.. Vol 01, Issue 4
• Working group reports on weed control methods and applications for Arundo, french broom, german ivy, hoary cress, yellow starthistle, and pampasgrass. Cal-IPC. Vol 01, Issue 3
• Weed whacking tips: Pampas grass (Cortaderia jubata). Kelly, Mike. Vol 01, Issue 1

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

• Biological control of aquatic weeds in California: Status update and a look to the future. Pratt, Paul (2023)
• Cross-county collaboration on weed management for success on Delta habitat restorations. Davis, Elizabeth; Weise, Ben; Williams, Amy (2022)
• Batman on a budget: Affordable gadgets and gear for collecting field data. Mahnken, Brooke; Knox, Adam (2021)
• Prioritizing widespread weeds with the WHIPPET tool. Kesel, Rachel; Greenberger, David (2020)
• How to develop user-friendly riparian corridor invasive exotic species/habitat restoration master plans: Experiences on the San Diego and Otay Rivers. Burkhart, Brad; Kelly, Mike (2007)
• Physiological and morphological responses of pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) to variations in water table and soil nitrogen content. Kroon, Joanna L; Vourlitis, George L (2007)
• Molecular evidence supporting the horticultural origin of invasive jubata grass (Cortaderia jubata). Okada, Miki; Lyle, Mark; Jasieniuk, Marie (2006)
• Restoration of desert wetlands dominated by tamarisk and pampas grass. Marchant, Tito; Hobbs, Robert; Hill, Annie; Simonsen-Marchant, Julie (2006)
• Large scale pampas grass control program. Powers, Jeff (2005)
• Tracking the spread of pampas grass: which cultivar does not matter. Okada, Miki; Ahmad, Riaz; Jasieniuk, Marie A. (2005)
• A tale of two invaders: The dynamic history of pampas grass and jubata grass in California. Lambrinos, John G. (2004)
• Identifying origins and tracing spread of pampasgrass and jubatagrass in California by microsatellite markers. Okada, Miki; Ahmad, Riaz; Jasieniuk, Marie (2004)
• Partnering to prevent invasions of plants of horticultural origin. Connick, Sarah; Gerel, Mike (2004)

Other Cortaderia selloana Information

• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
• CalWeedMapper - Distribution map of this species in California with ability to determine regional priorities.
• EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
• Jepson Interchange - Information on this plant's taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
• USDA PLANTS Database - Information on identification and distribution, with links to websites in individual states.

Additional photos