A genus of tall grasses including pampas grass, native to South America; widely cultivated as ornamental plants.
From Spanish corta (cut) + -deria (a place or condition). Named for the grass's sharp cutting edges that can injure skin, and referring to its cutting properties or the terrain where it grows.
Pampas grass (cortaderia selloana) became so invasive in some coastal regions that it's now considered an ecological threat—a beautiful ornamental that escaped cultivation and outcompetes native plants!
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