Wiry Panicgrass
Panicum flexile
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in glades and openings over mafic or calcareous rocks, damp sandy meadows, open woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- Up to about 3 feet
- Light
- Partial shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
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At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
- Bloom
- July to October
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 23 Arkansas counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone
Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock
Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.
Open, grassy or flowery ground that is not wet, such as mountain meadows; wet meadows are separate.
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 35 animals.
Widespread birds also seen here (62)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bank Swallow
- Belted Kingfisher
- Bewick's Wren
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Thrasher
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Cliff Swallow
- Common Nighthawk
- Cooper's Hawk
- Dark-eyed Junco
- 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
- Hooded Merganser
- Indigo Bunting
- Mallard
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Orchard Oriole
- Osprey
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Prairie Warbler
- Purple Finch
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Rusty Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Summer Tanager
- Tree Swallow
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Wild Turkey
- Wood Thrush
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
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
28BirdsRecorded eating Panicum 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.
- Wild TurkeySeeds. 19 diet records
- Common Ground-dove18 diet records
- Red-winged BlackbirdSeeds. 10 diet records
- Mourning Dove8 diet records
- Field SparrowSeeds. 7 diet records
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdSeeds. 6 diet records
- Chipping SparrowSeeds. 4 diet records
- SoraSeeds. 4 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite4 diet records
- Vesper SparrowSeeds. 4 diet records
Show all 28
- Brown-headed Cowbird3 diet records
- Bachman's SparrowSeeds. 3 diet records
- House Sparrow3 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 3 diet records
- Lapland Longspur2 diet records
- American Pipit2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- Ring-necked DuckSeeds. 2 diet records
- American Coot1 diet record
- American RobinSeeds. 1 diet record
- Chestnut-collared Longspur1 diet record
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Dark-eyed JuncoSeeds. 1 diet record
- Eastern BluebirdSeeds. 1 diet record
- Eastern Wood-peweeSeeds. 1 diet record
- GadwallSeeds. 1 diet record
- Smith's Longspur1 diet record
- Sprague's Pipit1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Panicum 28
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Bachman's SparrowAimophila aestivalis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- American CootFulica americana
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatus
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Sprague's PipitAnthus spragueii
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Soil pH
- Alkaline
- Flower color
- White, green or brown
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “July to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “White, green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Soil pH · “Alkaline” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Also known as
Wiry Panic Grass
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas (2013)
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- 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