Re: Problems with Cortaderia (was Euphorbia and Cortaderia boo-boo?

Jason D wrote:

Oops - I think I was unclear in my post.
Cortaderia jubata is the horrible weed in California.
Cortaderia toetoe is hardly grown here and as far as I
know it's not a weed, but because it's a Cortaderia,
people keep their eyes open about it.
Cortaderia selloana is sometimes a weed, I hear. But
I've not done the research.
Hi Jason
As far as I can make out the South American Cortaderia species which is such a pest here must be C selloana, which is the only one listed by the NZ edition of Botanica, but there is also a passing reference to C jubata, which interestingly is said to produce apomictic seed and so can spread itself from even isolated individuals.

As with many pest species in this country whether they are a problem or not greatly depends on latitude, many of our worst invasions seeming to arise from warm-climate species which are increasingly less able to establish themsleves the further south one goes. In the central region where I live you would only very rarely indeed see a Pampas grass clump outside a garden, while up in parts of the north feral plants are everywhere.

Mind you, it can work in the opposite direction too. In Otago waaay down South one sees acres of pasture invaded by bushes of the beautiful but pestiverous sweetbriar which is not known at all in warmer areas.


As to our native species of Cortaderia, appreciation of their merits is gradually growing here, espcially I think of the smaller-growing C fulvida which is better suited to modest gardens than its more vigourous relatives.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm

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