Cortaderia
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Cortaderia
a genus of perennial grasses of the family Gramineae. There are approximately five species (according to other data, as many as 15), distributed in the tropical and temperate zones of South America and New Zealand. The best-known species is pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana, or Gynerium argenteum), which forms thick mats. Its stalks measure 2 to 3 m tall, and its long, linear leaves are recurved. The plant is dioecious. The inflorescence is a thick, silvery panicle, measuring 30–50 cm long. The plant blooms in autumn and is an ornamental. It is cultivated in Western Europe and North America; in the USSR it is grown primarily in Western Transcaucasia. In South America the leaves of the plant are used in the manufacture of paper.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.