Scientific Name:
Panicum virgatum
Pronunciation:
PAN-ih-kum vur-GAY-tum
Common Name:
switch grass
Family Name:
Poaceae
Plant Type:
Poales (grass-like)
Key ID Features:
Upright grass (60-)70-90(-200)cm tall, usually unbranched, from hard, scaly rhizomes; leaves blades flat 20-40(-50)cm long x 3-15mm wide, ligule 1.5-4(-7)mm long with ciliate margin; spikelets 3-5mm long, arranged in open, pyramidal panicles 20-40cm long.
Habit:
Arching, Stiffly upright, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Mexico, North America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Container planting, Cut flower or foliage, Fall interest, Group or mass planting, Mixed shrub border, Perennial border, Specimen plant, Summer interest, Wildlife food
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include P. 'Heavy Metal' and P. 'Prairie Sky', and P. 'Rotstrahlbusch'. Another popular cultivar is P. 'Rehbraun'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Grass-like
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Parallel venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Bluish, Green, Red
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Linear
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Sheathing
Margins:
Serrulate
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
Spikelet, Floriferous, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Green
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Grain (caryopsis)
Fruit Colour:
Green, Red, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Beetles or weevils, Crown rot, Mites, Root rot, Rust, Thrips (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
- Level 4 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (BUG) BUG garden : dead? - cv. Prairie Sky
- (GRB) GRass Bed
- (GRBE) GRass Bed East : cv. Heavy Metal q.1 (declining)