Synoptic taxonomy of Cortaderia Stapf (Danthonioideae, Poaceae) Testoni, Daniel Linder, H. Peter PhytoKeys 2017 2017-01-11 76 39 69 2A7C9D03-2F8D-52A7-B114-4EECA0FEF9CC subsp. selloana Liliopsida Poaceae Cortaderia CoL Plantae Cortaderia selloana subsp. selloana Poales 7 46 Tracheophyta subSpecies selloana selloana  Common names. pampas grass, cortadera, cola de zorro, carrizo de las pampas. The origins of the popular name "pampas grass" are somewhat obscure, and do not reflect the ecology of the species ( Stapf 1897).  Taxonomy.  Cortaderia selloana ssp. selloanacan be diagnosed by the glumes about as tall as the basal lemma, and lemma without a distinct awn. The plants are generally larger than those of  Cortaderia araucanaand  Cortaderia speciosa, and the panicles are larger (0.5 to 1 m long), more lax, and coloured white, pink or yellowish. The similar size of basal lemmas and glumes (6-15 mm) further separates it from  Cortaderia araucana(glumes 9-17 mm long, ca. 1/2length of basal lemmas), whereas the larger glumes separate it from  Cortaderia speciosa(glumes 6-8 mm, ca. 3/4length of basal lemmas). The large size may also leadto confusion with  Cortaderia nitida, but it is easily separated by the larger and laxer panicles, 3-veined, awnless lemmas that are glabrous on hermaphrodite plants; and female plants with tiny staminodes. For the distinction from ssp. jubatasee below.  Cortaderia selloana ssp. selloanawas originally described as dioecious, but Astegiano et al. (1995)showed that it is gynodioecious, and Testoni and Villamil (2014)recorded several populations with only pistillate individuals (so presumably apomictic) in central and northern Argentina. This subspecies presents the greatest morphological variability and geographical range in the genus. The morphological characterization is also complicated by interbreeding between natural populations and cultivated plants.