Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Grass
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
North America, Canada, Mexico
Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Turkey, Western Asia
Types
Panicum abscissum, Panicum acostia, Panicum amarum
Mountain silverbell , Rosea
Number of Varieties
383
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Prairies
Floodplains, low mountains, Lower slopes, secondary forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-95-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
9-5
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
21,22
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
150.00 cm25.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Green
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Orange, Blue Green, Gray Green, Bronze
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Sandy Brown
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Acuminate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring, Late Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Root Division
Layering, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
occasional watering once established
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune in spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Prune grass to maintain level, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought and Salt
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Wildlife
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
Insignificant
-
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Provides ground cover, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
-
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Used as Biofuel
Decoration Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
PANICUM virgatum
ORNITHOGALUM nutans
Common Name
Switchgrass
Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem, Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem, Silver Bells
In Hindi
Switchgrass
Silver bells
In German
Switchgrass
Silver bells
In French
switchgrass
Silver bells
In Spanish
switchgrass
Silver bells
In Greek
switchgrass
Silver bells
In Portuguese
switchgrass
Silver bells
In Polish
switchgrass
Silver bells
In Latin
switchgrass
Silver bells
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Angiosperms
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Ebenales
Family
Poaceae
Asparagaceae
Genus
Panicum
Halesia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
-
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
4504
1
27800
👆🏻