pampas grass

American  

noun

1. a tall, ornamental grass, Cortaderia selloana, native to South America, having large, thick, feathery, silvery-white panicles.

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pampas grass British  

/ ˈpæmpəs, -pəz /

noun

1. any of various large grasses of the South American genus Cortaderia and related genera, widely cultivated for their large feathery silver-coloured flower branches

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Etymology

Origin of pampas grass

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

For her installation, she had conjured up large-scale, eye-popping works with dried lotus leaves, dyed pampas grass and anthuriums radiant with iridescent paint.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2022

Last year, Atlanta-based floral designer Laura Wilson went viral with an eye-popping tree made entirely of pampas grass.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2021

From the window in her new room on the opposite side of the building, she views not reporters and cameras, but pampas grass, pine trees and birds visiting a birdbath.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2021

It is why no one has grown pampas grass for the past 40 years.

From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2020

People have got it into their heads, through the cinema and the comic advertisements, that knights in armour generally wore ostrich plumes, nodding like stalks of pampas grass.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White