Stats

Lifespan

10-15 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Common

About

This tall, tufted grass grows in the open plains of southern South America. Its razor-sharp leaf edges can slice through skin to deter animals from grazing on it.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Poales

Family

Poaceae

Genus

Cortaderia

Species

Cortaderia selloana