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California Gardening

looking for: pampas grass for research

16 years ago

Hello~

I am a graduate student at UC Davis studying the molecular ecology of pampas grass to determine which cultivars are the most invasive in California. I need small leaf samples from pampas grass in landscape plantings containing more than one plant. I am wondering if anyone knows of any accessible plantings in California where I could sample.

Thanks so much for your help!

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Comments (8)

napapen
16 years ago
Doesn't it grow along the hiways in S. California? Good topic for the thesis. I never see it in N. Ca. anymore.

Penny
sautesmom Sacramento
16 years ago
My neighbor across the street has one here in Sac--e-mail me if you want more nfo
Carla
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wanda
16 years ago
Grows along the coast in N. Cal. too. Just drive along hwy 1
gardenguru1950
16 years ago
Because you used the word cultivar, I'll assume you mean Cortaderia selloana, the garden plant, rather than C. jubata, the extremely weedy species along the California coast.

Supposedly some cultivars of C. selloiana are weedy but aside from some naturalizing here and there, I haven't seen any truly nasty invasions of this species.

I'm curious as to how you will be able to tell which cultivars are most invasive but taking samples of landscape plants.

Joe
youreit
16 years ago
My parents have a row of them along their fence up in Redding. Not sure it's worth the drive up there, though. :)

They were there when they (we) moved in some 25 years ago. Dad tried burning them down once, but he only succeeded in burning down the fence. LOL He'll be removing them for good this year, though.

Brenda
belle06
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for all of your help and suggestions!

In response to gardenguru1950, you were correct in assuming that I am working on C. selloana. Although it is not as invasive as jubata grass along the coast, C. selloana is a problem in inland and southern california. I am actually using microsatellites to genotype the different plants that I sample and will be sampling both landscape and naturalized populations. I then plan on using population genetics software to look at the contribution of the different landscape plants to the invasive populations.

Thanks for your interest!
davissue_zone9
16 years ago
I assume you are aware of the ones in the planter on fifth street at the community gardens in town? Sue
youreit
16 years ago
Belle, I received your email/message, but there was no "reply-to" email. Hopefully, you'll receive my response via the email function here at GW.

If not, let me know!

Brenda

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