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Switch Cane

Arundinaria tecta

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in pine savannas, pocosins, canebrakes, blackwater swamps, Piedmont seeps, generally (but not solely) in wetlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 25 feet
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to July
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 5 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 134 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Arundinaria

  • Amblyscirtes aesculapiusLace-Winged Roadside-Skipper, Cobweb Little Skipper
  • Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
  • Argillophora furcillaForked Halter Moth
  • Crocidophora pustuliferalisScalloped Crocidophora
  • Lerema acciusClouded Skipper, Corn Leaf tier
  • Lethe creolaCreole Pearly Eye
  • Lethe portlandiaSouthern Pearly Eye
  • Poanes yehlYehl Skipper
  • Franclemontia interrogans
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Arundinaria

  • Phasianus colchicusRing-necked Pheasant
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. 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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Hardiness
Zones 6a–9b
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • 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 · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 6a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “About 25 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources