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Orchard Grass

Dactylis glomerata

Found in pastures, fields, woodland edges, roadsides. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

-30
Harmful

Not native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
About 3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Mississippi.

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge
    Carex amphibola

    Sun: Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to average. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Blunt Broom Sedge
    Carex tribuloides

    Sun: Full to part sun. Soil: Average to wet. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Eastern Woodland Sedge
    Carex blanda

    Sun: Full sun, Part shade, Shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to wet. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous, light

Refine these alternatives in the finder

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to October
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 21 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Dactylis

  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Fissicrambus mutabilisStriped Webworm, Striped Sodworm, Changeable Grass-Veneer
  • Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
  • Leucania adjutaAdjutant Wainscot
  • Leucania commoidesDusky Wainscot, Comma Wainscot
  • Leucania inermisUnarmed Wainscot
  • Leucania linitaReed Wainscot, Linen Wainscot
  • Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
  • Leucania pilipalpisZippered Wainscot
  • Leucania scirpicolaScirpus Wainscot
Show all 14
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
  • Megisto cymelaLittle Wood Satyr
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNA
Global rankGNR
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources