Panicum virgatum

Description

Panicum virgatum, or Switch Grass, is a 3-4 foot warm season, clump grass found in dry to wet soils and grows best in sun to part sun. Switch Grass’ pink-tinged flowers are open and form a fine-textured cluster in mid-summer. The grass provides food and cover for wildlife in open meadows and fields. It is the larval host for the Delaware Skipper and the Dotted Skipper butterflies. Switch Grass performs well as an accent, group, or mass, as well as a screen. Plant this grass in borders, prairies, meadows, or other naturalized areas. Recently, Switch Grass has been used as a biomass crop for ethanol and butanol.