Life Span
Perennial
Annual or Biennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Grass
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia
South America, Micronesia, New Zealand
Types
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty
Silver pampas grass, Uruguayan pampas grass, Purple pampas grass
Number of Varieties
2025
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Lawn
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-157-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
11 - 7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm304.80 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm182.88 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Red, Light Pink
Pink, Violet, White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green, Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green, Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
Long and slender with very sharp edges
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Summer, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires plenty of water during the growing season
Average Water Needs, Needs watering once a week, Reduce water once established, Water more frequently during periods of extreme drought
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune in late winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Apply 8-4-6 amount
Apply 10-10-10 amount, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
-
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Salt
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Rats, Snakes
Allergy
Rash
Itchiness, Skin cuts
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Provides ground cover
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Rhizomes
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes
Fibre, Food for animals, Used in paper industry
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Dried Flower / Everlasting, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break
Botanical Name
ALPINIA zerumbet
CORTADERIA
Common Name
Shell Ginger
Pampas Grass
In Hindi
Shell Ginger
Pampas grass
In German
Shell Ginger
Pampasgrass
In French
Shell Ginger
herbe de la pampa
In Spanish
Shell jengibre
cortaderas
In Greek
Shell Τζίντζερ
γρασίδι Πάμπα
In Portuguese
Shell Ginger
grama de Pampas
In Polish
Shell Imbir
Pampas trawy
In Latin
Crusta Ginger
Pampas herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Vascular plant
Class
Lilopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Zingiberales
Poales
Family
Zingiberaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Alpinia
Cortaderia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Alpinieae
Danthonieae
Subfamily
Alpinioideae
Danthonioideae
Number of Species
15025
1
27800
👆🏻