Panicum virgatum

Switchgrass

Curbside view of Panicum virgatum or Switchgrass. A large, common ornamental grass.

Closer view of Switchgrass panicles.

The leaves are large, both long and wide.

Close view shows the spikelets which are larger than those of many similar grasses.

The entire panicle of a somewhat sparcer specimen. The spikelets are crowded along most branches, a useful identification character.

Again the well-filled branches of a specimen with its long green leaves.

How to Identify Switchgrass

  Switchgrass is a showy ornamental grass that you will see in front of shops and offices as well as yards. It grows in dense bunches that are two or three feet in diameter and hip to shoulder high. All Panic grasses (grasses in genus Panicum) have one reduced glume and vertically striped spikelets. The tiny glumes have been likened to turbans. This feature requires a hand lens.

Similar Species

  Witchgrass (Panicum capillare) looks similar but is much smaller, with tiny, widely-separated spikelets. All the Arizona Panic grasses have similar oval spikelets, so differentiating them requires close inspection with a hand lens.
  Western Witchgrass (Digitaria pubiflora) is also similar and smaller.