NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

virgatum

Switchgrass

Grass/Sedge/Rush

Perennial

Poaceae (Grass Family)

^(*Key)

3-6 ft., 6-12 ft.

Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day

Dry, Moist, Wet

June, July, August, September, October

Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain

Var. cubense (Blunt Panic Grass): Wet to dry sandy pinelands. Present in NC mountains, piedmont, coastal plain, and sandhills (the most common variety in NC).

Var. spissum (Tufted Switchgrass): Gravelly or sandy fresh to brackish shores and swamps. In NC, present only in brackish or fresh tidal marshes in coastal counties (according to Vascular Plants of NC).

Var. virgatum (Switchgrass): Dry or wet sandy soils of pinelands, fresh and brackish marshes, shores. In NC, present in natural occurences only in the mountains, but it has been planted along roadsides and to create “natural” grasslands elsewhere in NC.

Alternate, Basal

Deciduous

Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like

Simple

Perennial

Important for Wildlife

Recommended and Available

S5: Secure ^(*Key)

G5 - Secure ^(*Key)

Cultivars available.

Flowering during the summer with lovely delicate panicles.

Garden in Orange County, NC

Bettina Darveaux

Turning a beige color in the Fall. The dried vegetation is persistent through the winter and provides some winter interest.

Garden in Orange County, NC

Bettina Darveaux

USDA PLANTS Database Record

https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/panicum-virgatum/

https://nc.audubon.org/700

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/panicum/virgatum/