Panicum virgatum
- Common Name(s):
- Panic grass, Switch grass
- Cultivar(s):
- 'Dallas Blues', 'Cloud Nine'
- Categories:
- Native Plants, Ornamental Grass, Perennials
- Comment:
Bluish cast in summer; reddish fall color; fast spreading by rhizomes; vigorous. This plant is highly resistant to deer grazing and is slightly salt tolerant.
Switchgrass is a perennial, warm-season grass that may grow 3-4 feet and occasionally 7 feet. Foliage clump is topped in mid-summer by finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched flower panicles which hover over the foliage like a cloud.
Regions: Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain
Seasons of Interest:
Bloom: Late Summer/Fall; Fruit/Seed/Nut: Fall/Winter
Wildlife Value: High deer resistance. Provides excellent cover year round. Host plant for Common Wood-Nymph and various skipper species of butterfly. Seeds are eaten by songbirds and small mammals.
Compare this Plant to: Panicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine', Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'
- Light:
- Sun to partial shade
- Height:
- 3-7 ft.
- Zones:
- 5-9
- Habit:
- Upright
- Form:
- Moderate texture; dense, upright, open clump
- Soil:
- Tolerant of moist soil
- Inflorescence:
- Open panicles of dark red to purple in late summer and fall; shiny red seeds
NCCES plant id: 647