Switchgrass is a perennial, warm-season ornamental grass that is native to North Carolina. This plant is one of the more dominant species of the tallgrass prairie, but it is found all over North America growing along moist roadsides, streambanks, and woodlands. It reaches 3-4 feet and with its flower plumes it can measure up to 7 feet tall. It forms a dense columnar foliage clump that can spread slowly through creeping rhizomes and remains attractive year-round. Plant it in full sun in moist clay or sandy soils. Partial shade is acceptable but it will not grow as tightly and may flop over. Propagation is by seed and division. Prune in late winter. It has a bluish cast in the summer and is topped by finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched flower panicles that hover over the foliage like a cloud. After the flowers go to seed leave them on the plant to provide a winter food source for birds and small mammals. The leaves will turn attractive shades of yellow-orange in the fall and then leaves will fade to light brown and persist through the winter. Prune the plants back severely in late winter to early spring. Mass plant this grass in the back of a border or use as a screen. It is effective as an accent plant in a native or water garden or along a pond. This plant is resistant to deer grazing, drought, erosion, and air pollution. It is also slightly salt tolerant, withstands occasional flooding, and can be planted near black walnut trees. Fire Risk: This plant has a high flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home. Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems : No serious problems. Thrips, spider mites, and Japanese Beetles are occasional pests. In southern summers rust might become an issue and if grown in stressful conditions crown or root rot can occur. Some cultivars have shown good to excellent resistance to phytophthora, stem rot, arial blight, or leaf spot. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'panicum-virgatum'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 59-attribute toolbox scrape.
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.
Often confused withPanicum virgatum 'Cloud Nine'Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal'Sorghastrum elliottii
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Columnar; Dense; Erect
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Blue; Green; Red/Burgundy
Leaf type
Sheath
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Medium green with a bluish cast narrow leaves have a visible midrib. A small patch of white hairs present where the leaves attach to the stems. Good fall color of yellow and orange. Winter color is tan.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Good Cut; Good Dried; Long-lasting; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Open 1' tall flower spikes with branched panicles of feathery dark red anthers and stigmas to purple from June to October with shiny red seeds.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer; Winter
Fruit color
Cream/Tan; Pink; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Teardrop seed is in form of a grain 1/8" long start out pink or purple and turn tan in the fall. Displays from August to November.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Round stiff stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Wildlife value
Provides excellent cover year round. This is a larval host plant for various Skipper butterflies and the Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) which have one brood from late May to October. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting fruit and flower nectar. Seeds are eaten by songbirds and small mammals in the winter.
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
various Skipper butterflies and the Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) which have one brood from late May to October