Redtop Panicgrass
Panicum rigidulum
49
Good
Native to West Virginia (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- About 3.3 feet
- Light
- 4 or more hours of direct sun
- Soil moisture
- Average to wet
At a glance
- Bloom
- Late summer
- Fruiting season
- Fall
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 5 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.
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Olive-sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Pine SiskinCarduelis pinus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
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
Ecological relationships
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
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
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
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Flower color
- Green
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Grows in clumps
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Fall
- 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 · “Late 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 · “Fall” · 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 · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Height · “About 3.3 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Also known as
Panicum agrostoides var. condensum; Panicum rigidulum; Redtop Panic Grass; panicgrass
Conservation status
| West Virginia rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5T5? [G5?] |
| WV status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- 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