Cortaderia selloana

From Paxton's Flower garden, 1851

Cortaderia selloana (Schult. & Schult. f.) Asch. & Graebn.

Arundo dioeca Spreng., nom illeg., non Arundo dioica Lour.,
Arundo selloana (Schult. & Schult. f.) Asch. & Graebner
Gynerium argenteum Nees.

Named for the German gardener Friedrich Sellow (Sello). 1789-1831 who died by drowning, botanical explorer, naturalist, plant collector in Brazil and Uruguay.

Temperate central South America, noxious weed invasive in many parts of the world.

Pampas Grass


The Floricultural Cabinet, and Florists Magazine (1851)
Notes on New or Rare Plants
Joseph Harrison
p. 27

Gynerium Argenteum ; (or, Arundo Dioica, or A. Selloana). The Pampas Grass of South America, where it inhabits the vast plains, and is said to grow ten yards high, and bear panicles of silky, silvery-white flowers two feet or more long.

It is a tall perennial plant in our own country and its fine plumes of flowers, borne by such a noble plant, renders it highly interesting and ornamental. It was introduced from South America by Mr. Moore, curator of the Botanic Garden, Dublin. The plant appears to be hardy in this country, flourishing in the garden of Robert Hutton, Esq., of Putney Park, near London. It is also in the Chiswick garden.

Paxton's Flower garden 1851
John Lindley, Joseph Paxton
Gleanings and Original Memoranda
p. 175-6

231. Gynerium Argenteum. Nees, (aliàs Arundo dioica Sprengel; aliàs Arundo Selloana Schultes.) A tall reedy perennial, with harsh serrated leaves, and large erect silky plumes of flowers. Belongs to Grasses. Native of Brazil and Montevideo. (Fig. III.)

This noble plant, now called the Pampas Grass, in consequence of its inhabiting the vast plains of S. America so named, has been introduced within a few years through Mr. Moore, of the Glasnevin Botanic Garden. Although but a Grass it will probably form one of the most useful objects of garden decoration obtained for many years. In stature it rivals the Bamboo, being described as growing in its native plains several times as high as a man. The leaves are hard, wiry, very rough at the edge, not half an inch broad at the widest part, of a dull grey green colour, much paler below. They are edged by sharp points or teeth, little less hard than the teeth of a file. The flowers appear in panicles from one and a half to two and a half feet long, resembling those of the common reed, but of a silvery whiteness, owing to their being covered with very long colourless hairs, and themselves consisting of colourless membranous glumes and pales.

According to Prof. Kunth this species is an Arundo. But to us it appears quite as different from that genus as from Gynerium. And although it is by no means one of the same genus as G. saccharoides, yet it may as well preserve its common name, faulty though it be, as be transferred to Arundo, from which it must be expelled. The inflexed hook of its pales is extremely remarkable, and, together with its dioecious character, leads to the inference that it may be a genus distinct from either.

The plant appears to be hardy. The annexed sketch was made in the garden of Robert Hutton, Esq., of Putney Park ; the species exists also in that of the Horticultural Society, to which it was presented by the Botanic Garden, Glasnevin.

Given the similarity between these two notices it is difficult to know which is an original memorandum and which a "gleaning"!"