Beaked Panicgrass
Panicum anceps
Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- Up to about 4 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist

At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
Not yet recorded · Spread · Bloom
Recorded in 7 West Virginia counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 83 animals.
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Yellow-crowned Night-heronNyctanassa violacea
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Widespread birds also seen here (36)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- Alder Flycatcher
- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Belted Kingfisher
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Raven
- Cooper's Hawk
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Towhee
- European Starling
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Great Horned Owl
- Least Flycatcher
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- Wild Turkey
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV
Genus host records with ranges including WV · Panicum
- Anatrytone loganDelaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper
- Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
- Ctenucha virginicaVirginia Ctenucha
- Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
- Dargida rubripennisThe Pink-Streak
- Dichagyris acclivisSwitchgrass Dart, Inclined Dart
- Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
- Hesperia sassacusIndian Skipper
- Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Show all 22
- Lethe anthedonNorthern Pearly Eye
- Leucania linitaReed Wainscot, Linen Wainscot
- Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
- Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered Lemon
- Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
- Mocis texanaTexas Mocis
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Polites egeremetNorthern Broken-Dash
- Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Idioglossa miraculosa
23BirdsRecorded eating Panicum in West Virginia
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.
- Wild TurkeySeeds. 19 diet records
- Red-winged BlackbirdSeeds. 10 diet records
- Mourning Dove8 diet records
- Field SparrowSeeds. 7 diet records
- Chipping SparrowSeeds. 4 diet records
- SoraSeeds. 4 diet records
- Northern Bobwhite4 diet records
- Vesper SparrowSeeds. 4 diet records
- Brown-headed Cowbird3 diet records
- House Sparrow3 diet records
Show all 23
- Wood DuckSeeds. 3 diet records
- Lapland Longspur2 diet records
- American Pipit2 diet records
- Bobolink2 diet records
- Ring-necked DuckSeeds. 2 diet records
- Snow Bunting2 diet records
- American Coot1 diet record
- American RobinSeeds. 1 diet record
- Common Grackle1 diet record
- Dark-eyed JuncoSeeds. 1 diet record
- Eastern BluebirdSeeds. 1 diet record
- Eastern Wood-peweeSeeds. 1 diet record
- GadwallSeeds. 1 diet record
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 Panicum 23
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- American CootFulica americana
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- GadwallAnas strepera
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–9b
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “Up to about 4 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “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
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Beak Panic Grass; Panicum anceps; Panicum anceps var. rhizomatum; panicgrass
Conservation status
| West Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | [G5] |
| WV 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
- NatureServe Explorer
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- West Virginia 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

































