Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Grass
Origin
North America, Canada, Mexico
Mediterranean, Northern Africa
Types
Panicum abscissum, Panicum acostia, Panicum amarum
Erianthus ravennae, Saccharum ravennae
Number of Varieties
38190
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Prairies
marshes, Riverbanks
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-96-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
9 - 6
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
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
150.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Green
Purple, Silver
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Purple
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
White, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Orange, Blue Green, Gray Green, Bronze
Purple, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Sandy Brown
Purple, Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Late Summer, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Root Division
Seedlings, Vegetative
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Water once every two or three weeks
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, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
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
Cut back all stems to the same height
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
0-10-10 NPK fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Drought, Edema
Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
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
Birds
Allergy
-
Noxious Weed
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Borders, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Provides ground cover, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes
Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Used as Biofuel
Cultivated for fodder
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
PANICUM virgatum
SACCHARUM ravennae
Common Name
Switchgrass
Hardy Pampas Grass, Plume Grass, Ravennagrass
In Hindi
Switchgrass
Plume Grass
In German
Switchgrass
Plume Gras
In French
switchgrass
Plume Herbe
In Spanish
switchgrass
Penacho de hierba
In Greek
switchgrass
Plume Grass
In Portuguese
switchgrass
Plume grama
In Polish
switchgrass
Pióropusz Trawa
In Latin
switchgrass
Kessinger Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Lilopsida
Order
Cyperales
Cyperales
Family
Poaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Panicum
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Paniceae
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
450400
1
27800
👆🏻