Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Good

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

Profile 100%

Height: 3–7 feet
Spread: 2–3 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Panicum virgatum — fruit photograph — Cecelia Alexander · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Mid summer
Fruiting season: Fall

Recorded in 16 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. 136 animals.

Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 3 shared habitats
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 3 shared habitats

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

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

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

35BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Aix sponsaWood Duck
Anas creccaGreen-winged Teal
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur

Show all 35

Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Contopus virensEastern Wood-Pewee
Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Mareca streperaGadwall
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Passer domesticusHouse Sparrow
Peucaea aestivalisBachman's Sparrow
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
Porzana carolinaSora
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalusYellow-headed Blackbird
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

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
Hardiness: Zones 5a–9b
Flower color: Yellow, pink, purple or red
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
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 · “Mid summer” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Yellow, pink, purple or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
Fruit ends · “Fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–7 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
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 (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Switch Grass

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not 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. Spreads steadily into colonies by both rhizomes and re-seeding. Tennessee Smart Yards

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Switchgrass

At a glance

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Panicum