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Native Plant Society of Texas

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Other common name(s):

Wand Panic Grass

Family:

Poaceae (Grass Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Red Prairie
Low Mountains and Bajadas
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Canadian/Cimarron High Plains
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Grass & Sedge

Height

3
to
5
ft.

Spread

2
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Clay, Limestone, Loam, Poor Drainage, Sand

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium, High

Native Habitat

Grassland, Riparian, Savanna, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Brown, Green

Bloom Season

Fall

Seasonal Interest

Fall Color, Larval Host, Nesting Material, Seeds

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Butterflies

Maintenance

One of the “big four” grasses of the American Tallgrass Prairie. Good for mass plantings and in pocket prairies. Used for range re-seeding. Grows in moist areas. Turns a pale yellow in the fall. Native habitat: dry or moist prairies, bluffs, stream banks, open woods, moist and seasonally damp open places, tall-grass prairies and Oak savannas.

Description

Blooms August-November. A warm-season, clump-forming grass. Seed produced in the fall on a large, open, finely textured, reddish-purple seed head. Pollinated by the wind. Larval host: Delaware Skipper and Dotted Skipper.

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Seed No Treatment Outdoors: Plant the seed after the soil is warmed in spring. Seed needs no special treatment to germinate, and typically sprouts after 2-3 weeks in warm conditions. It usually takes about three years for the plants to mature, during which time weeds must be managed for best results. Indoors: No pre-treatment necessary other than cold, dry storage. Start at least 4 weeks before outdoor night temperatures are reliably in the 10 C (50 F) range. Plant seed 0.64 cm (1/4 inch) deep in pots. Keep moist but not soggy and very warm (21 C - 70 F). When seedlings are 5 cm (2 in.) tall, transplant into the garden spaced 30 cm (1 ft.) apart. Outdoors: Sow seed 0.64 cm (1/4 inch) deep outdoors in either late fall or early spring. 1) https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/switch-grass-panicum-virgatum/#:~:text=Propagating%20Switchgrass&text=The%20species%20can%20be%20grown,fall%20planting%20is%20not%20recommended. 2) https://www.wildflowerfarm.com/panicum-virgatum-switchgrass.html#:~:text=Here's%20some%20information%20about%20growing%20Panicum%20virgatum,for%20creating%20dense%20cover%20for%20wildlife%20habitat.
Clump Division Switchgrass should be divided every few years, as the center of the plant may die out. This will also improve plant vigor. Divide in spring to allow roots to establish through the growing season. 1) https://www.gardendesign.com/ornamental-grasses/switchgrass.html#:~:text=Switchgrass%20should%20be%20divided%20every,establish%20through%20the%20growing%20season. 2) https://growingthehomegarden.com/propagating-switchgrass-through/

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason