Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
North America, Canada, Mexico
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Panicum abscissum, Panicum acostia, Panicum amarum
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
38170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Prairies
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
-
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
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 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Green
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Orange, Blue Green, Gray Green, Bronze
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Sandy Brown
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Root Division
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Wildlife
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
-
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
Insignificant
Sometimes
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Provides ground cover, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Used as Biofuel
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
PANICUM virgatum
JATROPHA
Common Name
Switchgrass
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
Switchgrass
रतनजोत
In German
Switchgrass
Purgiernuß
In French
switchgrass
purghère
In Spanish
switchgrass
frailejón
In Greek
switchgrass
jatropha
In Portuguese
switchgrass
galamaluco
In Polish
switchgrass
jatrofa
In Latin
switchgrass
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Euphorbiales
Family
Poaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Panicum
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
Paniceae
Jatropheae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
450170
1
27800
👆🏻