Pampas Grass — Chambers's Encyclopaedia

A detailed botanical illustration of Pampas Grass (Gynerium argenteum). The drawing shows a dense cluster of long, slender, grass-like leaves at the base. Several tall, upright stems rise from the center, each topped with a large, feathery, panicle-like flower head. The panicles are composed of many small, pointed spikelets. The overall appearance is that of a robust, ornamental grass. — Pampas Grass (*Gynerium argenteum*).

Pampas Grass (Gynerium argenteum), a grass which covers the pampas of South America. A noble grass now well known in British gardens as an ornamental plant, it is quite hardy, and its tufts have a splendid appearance. The leaves are 6 or 8 feet long, the ends arching gracefully over; the flowering stems 10 to 14 feet high; the panicles of flowers silvery white, and from 18 inches to 2 feet long. The male and female flowers are on separate plants; the spikelets two-flowered, one floret stalked, and the other sessile; the paleæ of the female florets elongated, awn-shaped, and woolly. The herbage is too coarse to be of value. The plant is now cultivated at Goleta, California, for the sake of its plumes, which are vended by florists for room decoration. Their culture and preparation for market form a considerable industry.—Another species of the same genus, G. saccharoides, a Brazilian grass, yields a considerable quantity of sugar.—A decoction of the root of G. parviflorum is used in Brazil to strengthen the hair.