Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Shrub
Origin
North America, Canada, Mexico
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
Types
Panicum abscissum, Panicum acostia, Panicum amarum
-
Number of Varieties
38700
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Prairies
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-95-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
8-5
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
150.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Green
White, Red, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Orange, Blue Green, Gray Green, Bronze
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Sandy Brown
Gray Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Soil Compaction
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Divison, Root Division
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Ammonium Nitrate
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single, Double, Semi-Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Wildlife
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin inflammation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Provides ground cover, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes
Food for animals, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Flowers
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Used as Biofuel
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
PANICUM virgatum
CALLUNA vulgaris
Common Name
Switchgrass
Heather, Common heather, Ling
In Hindi
Switchgrass
हीथ
In German
Switchgrass
Heidekraut
In French
switchgrass
bruyère
In Spanish
switchgrass
brezo
In Greek
switchgrass
ερείκη
In Portuguese
switchgrass
urze
In Polish
switchgrass
wrzos
In Latin
switchgrass
Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Ericales
Family
Poaceae
Ericaceae
Genus
Panicum
Calluna
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
Ericeae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Ericoideae
Number of Species
450860
1
27800
👆🏻