Toetoe (Cortaderia richardii)

Present distribution

Scientific name:	Cortaderia richardii (Endl.) Zotov
Common name(s):	New Zealand Pampas, Toetoe.

This weed is not known to be naturalised in Victoria

Habitat:

From coastal to montane, inhabits floodplains, swamps and riparian areas, forest and shrubland of high rainfall areas (Connor & Penny 1960; Johnson 1989; Muyt 2001 and Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).

Potential distribution

Potential distribution produced from CLIMATE modelling refined by applying suitable landuse and vegetation type overlays with CMA boundaries

Map Overlays Used

Land Use:
Forest private plantation; forest public plantation

Broad vegetation types
Coastal scrubs and grassland; coastal grassy woodland; heathy woodland; lowland forest; heath; swamp scrub; sedge rich woodland; moist foothills forest; montane moist forest; sub-alpine woodland; grassland; plains grassy woodland; valley grassy forest; herb-rich woodland; sub-alpine grassy woodland; montane grassy woodland; riverine grassy woodland riparian forest

Colours indicate possibility of Cortaderia richardii infesting these areas.

In the non-coloured areas the plant is unlikely to establish as the climate, soil or landuse is not presently suitable.

Map showing the potential distribution of toetoe

Red= Very high	Orange = Medium
Yellow = High	Green = Likely

Impact

QUESTION	COMMENTS	RATING	CONFIDENCE
Social
1. Restrict human access?	Can from dense clumps near waterways and encroach of walking tracks (Duckett 1989). Leaves are sharp having toothed margins, require machinery or burning to clear (Muyt 2001 and Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).	h	mh
2. Reduce tourism?	Found to reduce aesthetic and recreational values of National Parks and World Heritage Areas (Duckett 1989).	mh	mh
3. Injurious to people?	Leaves are finely toothed along the margins (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
4. Damage to cultural sites?	Unknown.	m	l
Abiotic
5. Impact flow?	Can grow on the riparian strip and capture silt (Connor & Penny 1960).	ml	m
6. Impact water quality?	No impacts reported.	l	m
7. Increase soil erosion?	Historical use as a soil stabiliser (Duckett 1989). Able to colonise slips and exposed soils (Pollock 1986).	ml	m
8. Reduce biomass?	Is capable of reducing the recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001). Therefore has potential to seriously reduce biomass by preventing forest regeneration, particularly after disturbance. However when invading grassland and swampland, it could directly replace vegetation or cause a biomass increase as it is a densely clumping species, growing to 2m (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).	m	m
9. Change fire regime?	Noted as to increase fire hazard (Harradine 1991). Noted to recover quickly after fire (Muyt 2001).	mh	m
Community Habitat
10. Impact on composition (a) high value EVC	EVC= Swamp Scrub (E); CMA= West Gippsland; Bioreg= Wilsons Promontory; VH CLIMATE potential. Can exclude most species of the herb/grass layer and reduce recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
(b) medium value EVC	EVC= Coastal Tussock Grassland (R); CMA= West Gippsland; Bioreg= Wilsons Promontory; VH CLIMATE potential. Can exclude most species of the herb/grass layer and reduce recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
(c) low value EVC	EVC= Riparian Forest (LC); CMA= West Gippsland; Bioreg= Wilsons Promontory; VH CLIMATE potential. Can exclude most species of the herb/grass layer and reduce recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
11. Impact on structure?	Can exclude most species of the herb/grass layer and reduce recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
12. Effect on threatened flora?	Able to exclude most grass and herb species and reduce recruitment of overstory species (Muyt 2001). Noted to reduce conservation values in conservation areas (Harradine 1991).	mh	m
Fauna
13. Effect on threatened fauna?	By excluding other plant species, reduces potential food sources. Would provide cover however if invasion leads to reduction of overstory canopy would be a reduction in strata diversity and habitat options.	mh	ml
14. Effect on non-threatened fauna?	By excluding other plant species, reduces potential food sources. Would provide cover however if invasion leads to reduction of overstory canopy would be a reduction in strata diversity and habitat options.	m	ml
15. Benefits fauna?	Leaves and flowers are edible (Chapman 1968). Dense clumping vegetation would be a form of habitat and cover.	mh	m
16. Injurious to fauna?	Leaves are finely toothed along the margins and are sharp (Chapman 1968 and Muyt 2001).	mh	m
Pest Animal
17. Food source to pests?	Leaves and flowers are edible for grazing species (Chapman 1968).	ml	m
18. Provides harbor?	Dense clumping vegetation would be a form of habitat and cover.	m	ml
Agriculture
19. Impact yield?	Impacts upon tree survival (Harradine 1991).	ml	m
20. Impact quality?	No impact reported	l	m
21. Affect land value?	None reported.	l	l
22. Change land use?	Reduced return on forestry operation due to increased costs (Harradine 1991).	m	m
23. Increase harvest costs?	Major impacts for the forestry industry, in New Zealand invasion by pampas increases tending costs by an estimated 144% (Harradine 1991).	h	mh
24. Disease host/vector?	No reported pests or diseases.	l	l

Invasive

QUESTION	COMMENTS	RATING	CONFIDENCE
Establishment
1. Germination requirements?	Germinates in autumn (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).	mh	mh
2. Establishment requirements?	Described as more shade tolerant than that of other Cortaderia sp. which are known weeds of forestry (Muyt 2001).	mh	mh
3. How much disturbance is required?	Can invade sites that have only been slightly disturbed, including riparian areas and after low intensity burns (Duckett 1989).	mh	mh
Growth/Competitive
4. Life form?	A grass species, forms large dense tussocks (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).	mh	mh
5. Allelopathic properties?	None described, however can exclude ground flora and prevent over-story regeneration (Muyt 2001).	m	ml
6. Tolerates herb pressure?	Is more palatable than other Cortaderia sp. inflorescences particularly so (Chapman 1968). Fresh growth is encouraged after being slashed or burnt (Duckett 1989).	mh	mh
7. Normal growth rate?	Can exclude other species of the herb/grass layer (Muyt 2001).	h	mh
8. Stress tolerance to frost, drought, w/logg, sal. etc?	Tolerant of waterlogging, invading swamplands (Harradine 1991). Susceptible to drought (Harradine 1991). Tolerant of fire, encourages new fresh growth (Duckett 1989).	mh	mh
Reproduction
9. Reproductive system	Dioecious, with females and hermaphrodites, can also reproduce vegetatively with rhizomes (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001).	h	mh
10. Number of propagules produced?	Each panicle can have thousands of spikelets each made up of a number of flowers (Knowles & Ecroyd 1985). Flowers found to have high percentage seed set with averages greater than 80% (Conner 1965).	h	h
11. Propagule longevity?	Unknown	m	l
12. Reproductive period?	Described as long-lived (Conner 1965).	h	mh
13. Time to reproductive maturity?	After over-wintering seedlings grow rapidly in spring as inflorescences develop (Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001). Flower with in one year.	h	mh
Dispersal
14. Number of mechanisms?	Primarily by wind, can also be dispersed by water, animals and accidental human dispersal (Muyt 2001).	h	mh
15. How far do they disperse?	May be spread several kilometres by wind (Muyt 2001)	h	mh

References

Chapman G.F. (1968) Pampus grass on Bruny Island. Tasmanian Journal of Agriculture. 39: 221-223.

Connor H.E. (1965) Breeding systems in New Zealand grasses. VI. Control of Gynodioecism in Cortaderia richardii (Endl.) Zotov. New Zealand Journal of Botany. 3: 233-242.

Connor H.E. & Penny E.D. (1960) Breeding Systems in New Zealand grasses. II. Gynodioecy in Arundo richardii Endl. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 3: 725-727

Duckett T. (1989) Managing Tasmania’s Pampas Grass Problem: A Strategy for Control. Tasforests. 1: 27-31.

Harradine A.R. (1991) The Impact of pampas grasses as weeds in southern Australia. Plant Protection Quarterly. 6: 111-115.

Johnson P.N. (1989) Wetland Plants in New Zealand. DSIR Publishing. Wellington.

Knowles B. & Ecroyd C. (1985) Species of Coraderia (Pampas Grasses and Toetoe) in New Zealand. FRI Bulletin No. 105. Forest Research Institute. New Zealand.

Muyt A. (2001) Bush invaders of South-East Australia: a guide to the identification and control of environmental weeds found in South-East Australia. R.G. and F.J. Richardson. Meredith.

Parsons W.T. & Cuthbertson, E.G. (2001) Noxious weeds of Australia, 2nd ed., CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.

Pollock K.M. (1986) Water & Soil Miscellaneous Publication No. 95, Plant Materials Handbook for Soil Conservation. Volume 3: Native Plants. Soil Conservation Centre, Aokautere, Ministry of Works and Development, Palmerton North, Wellington.

Global present distribution data references

Australian National Herbarium (ANH) Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, Australian National Herbarium, Centre for Plant Diversity and Research, viewed 11 Sep 2006 , http://www.anbg.gov.au/avh/

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Global biodiversity information facility: Prototype data portal, viewed 11 Sep 2006, http://www.gbif.org/

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