Eastern gamagrass is a warm-season perennial clumping grass native to eastern North America and found throughout North Carolina. The origin of the name ‘gamagrass’ is unclear but may have derived from “grama,” a common name for pasture grasses in the unrelated genus Bouteloua . This species can be found in wet to mesic conditions in full to near-full sun, often at roadsides, streambanks, ditches, and edge habitats. It prefers fertile loamy soils. Its habitat preferences in North Carolina are not well-researched. Eastern gamagrass is a distant relative of cultivated corn ( Zea mays ). Much like corn, this grass has broad leaves with conspicuous midveins. It can attain large sizes and reproduce vegetatively through its rhizomes, though its growth habit is not particularly aggressive. The inflorescence is a long spike with sessile spikelets that look like stacks of cylinders. Male and female spikelets occur in separate groups on the same spike. Being a large grass with broad, arching leaves, eastern gamagrass can make a good ornamental. It may be also be selected for its wildlife value in native gardens or natural areas. It provides cover for game, including quail and deer. Allocate plenty of room for gamagrass in the garden. Gamagrass can survive irregular mowing and should be cut back in the winter.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Sheath
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves broad, glabrous, 2-3 feet long with parallel veins including a prominent white-yellowish midvein. Leaf blades arching and floppy. Ligules with with short white hairs. The leaf sheaths are light green to reddish green, glabrous, longitudinally veined, and open.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Spike
Flower size
> 6 inches
Flower detail
Culms terminating in 1-3 inflorescences, each consisting of a male spike stacked atop a female spike. Each male floret has three stamens hanging down with conspicuous reddish anthers. Female spikes are cylindrical, with a constriction between each spikelet; they look like a stack of small cylinders. When they are mature one can easily snap off a spikelet from the one below it.
Bloom time
Summer
Stem color
Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Culms (flowering stems) 4-6 feet, rarely up to 12 feet, erect. Light green to pale reddish, glabrous, terete, usually unbranched.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Distribution
Widespread in eastern US. Found throughout NC, but rare in the Mountains.
Wildlife value
Provides cover for native wildlife, notably quail. Larval host for some grass skippers (Herperiinae, notably the Byssus skipper). Foliage browsed by cattle (historically by bison and elk). Seeds are consumed by granivorous birds and mammals.
Attracts
Reptiles; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
some grass skippers (Herperiinae, notably the Byssus skipper)