''Tripidium ravennae'', synonym ''Saccharum ravennae'' (and many others), with the common names ravennagrass and elephant grass, is a species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

in the genus ''

Tripidium ''Tripidium'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Poaceae, native to Spain, Morocco, Korea and New Guinea. The genus name was first published by Hildemar Wolfgang Scholz in 2006 as a replacement for the illegitimate name ''Ripidium''. ...

''. It is native to southern Europe, western Asia and South Asia and is known in North America as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

, where it is sometimes an invasive and troublesome noxious weed.

Uses

Ravennagrass is a large, aggressive grass that has been sold in nurseries for use as an

ornamental grass Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. Ornamental grasses are popular in many colder hardiness zones for their resilience to cold temperatures and aesthetic value throughout fall and winter seasons. Classifications Along ...

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s, and for stabilizing soil to prevent

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

. It is sold under the name "hardy pampas grass."

Invasive species

''Tripidium ravennae'' is now established as an invasive species in several parts of North America, including

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened to Glen Canyon NRA or GCNRA) is a national recreation area and conservation unit of the United States National Park Service that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, the

Rio Grande Valley State Park The Rio Grande Valley State Park (RGVSP) is a park located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, established in 1983. Although officially named "State Park" this open space is actually managed by various local, state and federal agencies, as well as other ...

in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and parts of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.California Invasive Plant Council
/ref> It grows in the moist soil of riparian habitats including

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es and riverbanks. This perennial grass grows in large, dense clumps from a network of rhizomes. It produces erect stems which can reach 13 ft (4m) in height. The serrated leaves are up to a meter long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a plume-like panicle of spikelets covered in white or pale-colored silky hairs.

References

External links

Grass Manual Treatment of ''Saccharum ravennae''

Jepson Manual Treatment
– ''invasive plant species''. {{Taxonbar, from1=Q58380159, from2=Q1298300, from3=Q39581708 Panicoideae Flora of Europe Flora of Western Asia Garden plants of Asia Garden plants of Europe Plants described in 1774 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus