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Pampas Gone Wild-Haipua‘ena Part 3

Posted on November 23, 2011 by MISC Leave a Comment

In the final installment of the “Pampas Gone Wild” series, we’ll cover some of the key identification features of pampas grass that differentiate it from the native sedge, Carex. These features can also be used to identify immature pampas in other habitats.

Chris sees a pampas

There’s an immature pampas grass in this photo…any guesses?

Pampas in field zoomed in

Zoom in for a closer look.

pampas leaf zoomed out

A young pampas closely resembles a native sedge, Carex. First look for the flat leaf of pampas.

Carex leaf

Compared that with the "corrugated" leaf of Carex.

Pampas leaf-jagged edges

Another key feature of pampas is the razor sharp serrated leaf edges, shown clearly in this photo. This feature is easy to find by running your finger carefully along the edge, even on very young seedlings.

Haipuena crew

This series was brought to you with the help of the above members of the MISC field crew, Summer 2011: Paul Gonzalez (SCA), Brooke Mahnken (GIS and Data Specialist), Chris Radford (Crew Leader), Matt Fairall (SCA), Frank Ritenour (SCA), and Abe Vandenberg (Field Crew and Outreach). Thanks for your good and muddy work out there!

If you think you have seen a pampas grass in Hawaii, please contact your local Invasive Species Committee. Many Mahalos!

Filed Under: In the field, Invasive Plants, MISC Target Species Tagged With: identifying pampas grass, native carex, pampas grass, pampas in rainforest

Pampas Gone Wild-Haipua‘ena part 1

Posted on November 1, 2011 by MISC Leave a Comment

Pampas grass or Cortaderia jubata with it’s wind-dispersed seeds readily escapes cultivation.  Tackling established populations far from civilization takes some work…check out the work in one of our remote field camps–Haipua‘ena.

Helicopters bring the gear and materials out for both the crew and for building a new platform out of the mud.

Helicopters bring the gear and materials out for both the crew and for building a new platform out of the mud.

The crew prepares to start hiking in. Along the way they'll be searching for pampas.

The crew prepares to start hiking in. Along the way they’ll be searching for pampas.

The boardwalk running along the Waikamoi flume...the easy part.

The boardwalk running along the Waikamoi flume…the easy part.

A dead pampas grass...excellent!

A dead pampas grass…excellent!

A not-so-dead pampas grass...not excellent.

A not-so-dead pampas grass…not excellent.

Very lively and seeding pampas grass...euuuwwh

Very lively and seeding pampas grass…euuuwwh

Check back to see how we treat pampas grass in this kind of environment!

Filed Under: In the field, Invasive Plants, MISC Target Species Tagged With: Cortaderia jubata, pampas grass, pampas in rainforest

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Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)
Office: (808) 573-6472
Press and Media Inquiries: (808) 344-2756
Mailing Address:
PO Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768

Acting Manager / Public Relations: Lissa Strohecker
E-mail: miscpr@hawaii.edu

Special Projects: Teya Penniman
E-mail: miscmgr@hawaii.edu

Statewide Pest Hotline: 808-643-PEST
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