シロガネヨシは「お化けススキ」とも呼ばれるくらい、大きな草姿。羽毛のような花穂が美しく、生け花やドライフラワーにも用いられます。
Pampas Grass is so big that it is also called “ghost grass” in Japanese. The feather-like flower spikes are beautiful, and it is also used for flower arrangements and dried flowers.
【仮名】シロガネヨシ, パンパスグラス
【和名】銀葦
【英名】Pampas Grass
【学名】Cortaderia selloana
【誕生】09/ 06
【開花】08, 09, 10月
【花色】White, Pink
シロガネヨシ
シロガネヨシの来歴
シロガネヨシはイネ科の多年草。原産地は南米のブラジル、アルゼンチン、チリで、日本へは明治時代の中ごろに渡来しました。雌雄異株で、羽毛のような花穂が美しく、小型種は庭園に、大型種は公園に植栽。花もちがよいので、切り花が生け花やドライフラワーにも用いられます。
シロガネヨシの名前
シロガネヨシの名前の由来は花穂が銀白色の葦だから。英名パンパスグラスは「南米の大平原の草」という意味です。属名コルタデリアはスペイン語の「切るもの」に由来し、触ると傷つくくらい葉縁が鋭いから。種名セロアナはドイツの植物学者フリードリヒ・セローへの献名です。
シロガネヨシの姿形
シロガネヨシは「お化けススキ」とも呼ばれるくらい大きな草姿。葉は根元から密生して細長く、模様が入るものもあります。花穂は雄株がスッキリ、雌株がフサフサ。株分けのみならず、種子でも殖えますが、花穂の色や形がバラつきます。寒さに弱いので関東より北は防寒が必要。
シロガネヨシの品種
シロガネヨシの小型品種は草丈が１ｍくらい。「ロゼア」は花穂が薄紅色、「ゴールドバンド」は葉に金色の縞模様、「シルバーストライプ」は葉に銀色の縞模様が入ります。大型品種は草丈が３ｍくらい。「ホワイト・フェザー」は花穂が白色、「ピンク・フェザー」は薄桃色です。
Pampas Grass
History of Pampas Grass
Pampas Grass is a perennial plant of Poaceae family. The place of origin is Brazil, Argentina and Chile in South America, and it was brought to Japan in the middle of the Meiji era. It is dioecious and has beautiful feather-like flower spikes. The flowers are long-lasting, so cut flowers are used for flower arrangements and dried flowers.
Name of Pampas Grass
The origin of the name “white silver reed” which is Pampas Grass in Japanese is that the flower spikes are silvery white reeds. The English name pampas grass means “grass of the great plains of South America”. The genus name Cortaderia comes from the Spanish word for “cutter”, because the edges of the leaves are sharp enough to hurt when touched. The species name Selloana is a dedication to the German botanist Friedrich Sellow.
Appearance of Pampas Grass
Pampas Grass is so big that it is also called “ghost grass” in Japanese. The leaves grow densely from the base and are elongated, and some have patterns. The flower spikes are slender on the male and fluffy on the female. It can be propagated not only by division but also by seeds, but the color and shape of the spikes will vary. They are vulnerable to the cold, so it is necessary to protect against the cold northern than the Kanto region.
Cultivars of Pampas Grass
Small varieties of Pampas Grass grow up to 1 meter tall. “Rosea” has light pink flower spikes, “Gold Band” has golden stripes on the leaves, and “Silver Stripe” has silver stripes on the leaves. Large varieties grow up to 3 meters tall. “White Feather” has white flower spikes, and “Pink Feather” has pale pink.
