It's a common sight on Highway One in Big Sur all year, but on the Autumn Equinox the most noticeable invasive plant is pampas grass and the seeds pile up along the roadside like snow. It's not unusual to find one growing in the deep shade of a redwood stream, on a deer trail in coastal scrub or on a grassy ridge at 2000 feet. Like cape ivy, sticky eupatorium or french broom, pampas grass is a problem plant because it spreads into wildlands even in the absence of man-made disturbance. Pampas grass is a misnomer.
Selloana plumes are a silvery white and rise to about the same level as the leaves.
You may see it as a landscape plant anywhere in central California. Selloana was a commercial crop grown for its showy plumes in the late 19th century both in the U.S. and Europe. It is also sold as C. quila , C. rudiscula and C. atacamensis . Jubata pampas grass plumes are reddish first then fade to a pale tan and they reach clearly above the leaf mass. Jubata makes a quicker flowering product for nursery sales so watch out if you think you're buying the safer selloana at the nursery.