Variable Witchgrass
Dichanthelium commutatum
Native to Louisiana (estimated). 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 59 Louisiana parishes.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 150 animals.
- Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
- House FinchCarpodacus mexicanus
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferus
- King RailRallus elegans
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Le Conte's SparrowAmmodramus leconteii
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
- Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
- Mottled DuckAnas fulvigula
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Palm WarblerDendroica palmarum
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Ross's GooseChen rossii
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Widespread birds also seen here (17)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
Who uses this plant?
22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Panicum
- Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
- Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
- Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
- Dargida rubripennisThe Pink-Streak
- Hesperia attalusDotted Skipper
- 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
- Leucania adjutaAdjutant Wainscot
Show all 22
- Leucania linitaReed Wainscot, Linen Wainscot
- 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
- Poanes viatorBroad-Winged Skipper
- Polites egeremetNorthern Broken-Dash
- Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Idioglossa miraculosa
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded eating Dichanthelium in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Northern Bobwhite2 diet records
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 1
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
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
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| LA 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
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Louisiana 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