Jubatagrass Attacks!

Jubatagrass plumes contain hundreds of thousands of seeds that easily carry on the wind. Its blades are sharp enough to cut skin.

No, it's not Martian, but jubatagrass (Cortaderia jubata), a tall, feathery pampas grass from South America, is infesting the California coast and changing the landscape. More than 20 million acres in California are already infested, according to the California Invasive Plant Council (www.caleppc.org).

In September 2004, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have set up a statewide council to control invasive species.

The California Invasive Weeds Awareness Coalition (CALIWAC), meanwhile, is sponsoring its second annual Invasive Weeds Day in Sacramento on March 9, 2005.

Ken Moore, formerly a Los Angeles landscape architect, has helped organize the Wildlands Restoration Team, a volunteer group that helps clear such weeds from state park lands. He admits to having planted some invasive species in his day, but is now devoting all his time to eradicating them.