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Atlantic Mannagrass

Glyceria obtusa

Found in blackwater swamp forests, streamhead pocosins, wet meadows, freshwater marshes, in a wide variety of peaty, acidic soils. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

37
Good

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 3.3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
June to September
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 28 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 4

Swamps

View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina
Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Pocosins and bay forests

Dense low pocosin
Dense low pocosin. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Dense low pocosin, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Glyceria

  • Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
  • Apamea dubitansDoubtful Agroperina
  • Leucania commoidesDusky Wainscot, Comma Wainscot
  • Limochores origenesCrossline Skipper
  • Mythimna oxygalaLesser Wainscot
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Plusia putnamiPutnam's Looper Moth, Lempke's Gold Spot
  • Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
  • Pseudohermonassa bicarneaPink-Spotted Dart
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Aythya americanaRedhead
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
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
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

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA 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.

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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