Variable Witchgrass
Dichanthelium commutatum
50
Strong
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- About 4.9 feet
- Light
- Shade, Partial sun
- Soil moisture
- Low, Moderate
No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
At a glance
- Bloom
- Summer
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 25 Arkansas counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 112 animals.
- Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleuca
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Neotropic CormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Wilson's WarblerWilsonia pusilla
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- American CootFulica americana
- American Tree SparrowSpizella arborea
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Bank SwallowRiparia riparia
- Barred OwlStrix varia
Widespread birds also seen here (60)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Baltimore Oriole
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Thrasher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Great Horned Owl
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Harris's Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Indigo Bunting
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Orchard Oriole
- Osprey
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-crowned Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Wild Turkey
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
23CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Panicum
- Amblyscirtes nysaNysa Roadside-Skipper
- Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
- Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
- Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
- Dargida rubripennisThe Pink-Streak
- Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
- Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
- Lethe anthedonNorthern Pearly Eye
Show all 23
- Leucania adjutaAdjutant Wainscot
- Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
- Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered Lemon
- Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
- Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Panoquina ocolaOcola Skipper, Long-Winged Skiiper
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Polites egeremetNorthern Broken-Dash
- Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Elachista radiantella
- Idioglossa miraculosa
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded eating Dichanthelium in Arkansas
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.
- Northern Bobwhite2 diet records
- Chestnut-collared Longspur1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
- Pogonomyrmex badius
Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.
No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Dichanthelium 2
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatus
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Flower color
- Green
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Growth habit
- Grows in clumps
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Flower color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Height · “About 4.9 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Light · “Shade (minimum requirement); Partial sun (minimum requirement)” · Virginia DCR Piedmont · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high
- Soil · “Low; Moderate” · Virginia DCR Piedmont · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high
Also known as
Panicum commutatum; Variable Witch Grass; panicgrass
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications