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Catchfly Cutgrass

Leersia lenticularis

Found in brownwater and blackwater floodplain forests and swamps, rarely in depression swamps and ponds. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

29
Good

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

Profile 94%

Height
About 2.6 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
July to November
Fruiting season
Fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 37 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 3

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 923 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 4096 x 2953; no crop or other change

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 100 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (33)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Leersia

  • Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
  • Lethe anthedonNorthern Pearly Eye
  • Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
  • Panoquina ocolaOcola Skipper, Long-Winged Skiiper
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
6BirdsRecorded eating Leersia in Mississippi

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

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 Leersia 6

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Catchfly Cut Grass

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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.

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