Variable Witchgrass
Dichanthelium commutatum
50
Strong
Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- About 4.9 feet
- Light
- Shade, Partial sun
- Soil moisture
- Low, Moderate
No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
At a glance
- Bloom
- Summer
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves
Recorded in 13 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. 85 animals.
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Louisiana WaterthrushSeiurus motacilla
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Pine WarblerDendroica pinus
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
Widespread birds also seen here (46)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- Alder Flycatcher
- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Redstart
- American Robin
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-billed Cuckoo
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Raven
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Towhee
- European Starling
- Fox Sparrow
- Gray Catbird
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Great Horned Owl
- Least Flycatcher
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Olive-sided Flycatcher
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Osprey
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- 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
1BirdsRecorded eating Dichanthelium 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.
- Northern Bobwhite2 diet records
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
- Pogonomyrmex badius
Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.
No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Dichanthelium 1
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Poaceae
- Flower color
- Green
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Growth habit
- Grows in clumps
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- 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 · “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 · “Summer” · 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 · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Height · “About 4.9 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Light · “Shade (minimum requirement); Partial sun (minimum requirement)” · Virginia DCR Piedmont · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high
- Soil · “Low; Moderate” · Virginia DCR Piedmont · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high
Also known as
Panicum commutatum; Variable Witch Grass; panicgrass
Conservation status
| West Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| WV status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
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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