Panicum Virgatum Botany by Dr. John Hilty

Cultivation:

“Plant it in the full sun moist clay or sandy soils. Partial shade is acceptable but it will not grow as tightly and may flop over.  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. ” (North Carolina Extension)

Faunal Associations: 

“Various insects feed on Switch Grass and other Panicum spp. (Panic Grasses). These include the caterpillars of such skippers as Atrytone logan (Delaware Skipper), Hesperia leonardus (Leonard’s Skipper), Hesperia sassacus (Indian Skipper), Poanes hobomok (Hobomok Skipper), Polites themistocles (Tawny-edged Skipper), and Wallengrenia egremet (Northern Broken-Dash). Other insect feeders include the larvae of grass leaf-miner moths (Elachista spp.), the larvae of gall flies, plants bugs (Collaria spp.), stink bugs, Sipha flava (Yellow Sugar Cane Aphid) and other aphids, leafhoppers (Graminella spp., Polyamia spp.), mealybugs, leaf beetles, thrips (Chirothrips spp.), and grasshoppers. See the Insect Table for a more complete list of these species. The seeds of Switch Grass and other Panicum spp. (Panic Grasses) are eaten by a variety of birds, including wetland birds, upland gamebirds, and granivorous songbirds (see the Bird Table for a listing of these species). The seeds of these grasses are also eaten by the Prairie Deer Mouse and wild House Mouse (Whitaker, 1966). The very young foliage of this grass is edible to cattle and other hoofed mammalian herbivores (Georgia, 1913). Because Switch Grass remains upright during the winter and often forms large clumps, it provides good cover for various birds and mammals during this time of year.” (Hilty)

The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a cosmopolitan lark that feeds on the seeds of panic grasses such as Panicum virgatum. It can be distinguished from other larks by its black and yellow face pattern.

Uses

The extensive fibrous root system of switchgrass makes it ideal for soil conservation and restoration work. It naturally improves soil organic matter and prevents erosion by anchoring itself deep within the soil. The United States Department of Agriculture writes it is “used for erosion control in critical areas to stabilize soil in strip-mines, sand dunes, or along dikes or gullies…. It can also be used as a forage, hay, riparian buffer, field windbreak, biofuel source, or as nesting and cover for wildlife in both wet and dry soils.” (USDA)

1. “Vingergras (Panicum virgatum ‘Squaw’) – Le Clos de Coudray – Étaimpuis {september 2010}” by westher is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
2. “Panicum Virgatum” by Chhe (talk) (Copyright July 2009) License: Public Domain
3. “Form” by Forest & Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 4.0
4. “Panicum virgatum” by Matt Lavin is licensed under CC BY 2.0