• Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass) native plant in bloom
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Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)

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Switchgrass puts on most of its growth in summer and can spread strongly. Use it with enough space for mature clumps rather than packing many plants into a small area.

For Panicum virgatum, choose full to partial sun and moist to mesic soil. Recorded habitats include mesic to low prairies; Swales; Dunes; Sand barrens and blowouts; River and stream banks; Lakeshores; Sandbars. Reported height: 3-6 ft.

Growth habit: can spread aggressively. Allow room for this spreading habit beside smaller plants and narrow borders. Keep the planting edge accessible so you can manage growth beyond the intended area.

Plant specifications & ecological relationships

Key growing facts

Sunlight Full to partial sun
Soil moisture Moist to mesic
Height 3-6 ft
Bloom season Mid-summer

Native landscape companions

For full sun and mesic soil, consider these native plants alongside Panicum virgatum:

Companion plant Height
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 2-6 ft
Nodding Bulrush or Rufous Bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) 2–3½ ft
Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) 3-6 ft
Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata) 2-5 ft

These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.

Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
Growth habit Can spread aggressively
Root form Fibrous roots; Rhizomes
Soil pH 4.5–8.0
Cultivation hardiness zones Zones 5a–9b (general cultivation guidance)
Drought tolerance Drought tolerance reported in cultivation guidance; establishment needs and duration are not specified.
Deer browsing Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible.
Salt tolerance Moderate (northeastern Illinois guide); no numeric exposure threshold given.

Plant identification & seed reference

Botanical name Panicum virgatum
Other common names switch grass; Panic Grass; Panic Grasses; Switchgrass; Switch Grass; Tall Panic Grass; Thatchgrass; Wild Redtop
Seed germination USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.
Plant family Poaceae
Seeds per pound — reference estimate 259000

Plant characteristics

One of the classic "tall grass prairie " plants can exhibit great golden fall colors and winter structural interest.  It can grow to heights of 6' and can be aggressive on small landscapes.  Otherwise, grows in almost every soil except wet and has very attractive foliage.

  • Flower Color green
  • Flower Time July, August, September
    • Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates

    Documented Illinois communities

    Successional dry sand prairie — Primms Prairie

    Lost Mound — Jo Daviess County, Illinois; 2005 survey.

    Other native plants recorded in this survey area: Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias verticillata, Brickellia eupatorioides, Eragrostis spectabilis, Juniperus virginiana, Koeleria macrantha, Lespedeza capitata, Monarda punctata, Prunus serotina, Rhus aromatica, Rosa carolina, Sorghastrum nutans.

    Selected species from the ground layer. The survey includes disturbance and succession; these records do not specify immediate neighbors or planting proportions.

    Late-successional dry sand prairie

    Ayers Sand Prairie Nature Preserve — Carroll County, Illinois; 2004 survey.

    Other native plants recorded in this survey area: Asclepias verticillata, Aster ericoides, Eragrostis spectabilis, Euphorbia corollata, Koeleria macrantha, Lespedeza capitata, Liatris aspera, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago nemoralis, Viola pedata, Ambrosia psilostachya, Aristida tuberculosa.

    Selected species from the ground layer. The survey includes disturbance and succession; these records do not specify immediate neighbors or planting proportions.

    Early-successional disturbed dry sand prairie

    Thomson-Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve — Whiteside County, Illinois; 2004 survey.

    Other native plants recorded in this survey area: Eragrostis spectabilis, Koeleria macrantha, Lespedeza capitata, Liatris aspera, Monarda punctata, Rhus aromatica, Solidago nemoralis, Ambrosia psilostachya, Aristida tuberculosa, Carex muhlenbergii, Carex tonsa, Chrysopsis camporum.

    Selected species from the ground layer. The survey includes disturbance and succession; these records do not specify immediate neighbors or planting proportions.

    Illinois woodland and stream communities

    Middle Fork Woods, Vermilion County (1999–2002 survey). Recorded in: perennial stream corridor.

    Perennial stream corridor — selected native associates: Phlox divaricata, Sorghastrum nutans, Acer saccharinum.

    These plants share a recorded habitat; they were not necessarily found in the same small plot.

    Illinois plant communities

    Mesic black-soil prairie — central Illinois

    Recorded at Loda Cemetery Prairie (Iroquois County), Prospect Cemetery Prairie (Ford County), Weston Cemetery Prairie (McLean County). INHS identifies these sites as remnants of this community.

    Selected native plants from the same remnant records:

    These inventories include edges and disturbed patches. Shared remnant records do not establish that every plant grows together in one microsite.

    Green River community records

    Mesic sand prairie: Lee County, Illinois (2006). Selected catalog plants recorded in this community: Andropogon gerardii; Antennaria neglecta; Antennaria plantaginifolia; Fragaria virginiana; Lespedeza capitata; Liatris pycnostachya.

    The study site includes restoration plantings. Community records do not establish county-native origin or a seed-mix recipe.

    Other regional plant communities

    These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.

    Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value

    State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.

    Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest FAC
    C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 3
    Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 Yes
    Native range — U.S. states Alabama; Arizona; Arkansas; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming
    County nativity Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity.
    Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife

    Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects

    This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.

    Butterflies & skippers

    • Anatrytone logan — Delaware Skipper, Logan Skipper, Black-Vein Skipper

    Moths

    • Aethes spartinana — Cord Grass Caterpillar
    • Blastobasis repartella
    • Dargida diffusa — Wheat Head Armywotm Moth
    • Dichagyris acclivis — Switchgrass Dart, Inclined Dart
    • Haimbachia albescens — Silvered Haimbachia
    • Mocis texana — Texas Mocis

    Other insect & wildlife relationships

    Caterpillars this plant can feed

    Common Wood-Nymph.

    • Cover and seed: The standing grass offers cover; songbirds and small mammals eat the seeds in winter.

    Additional published species records; Illinois insect occurrence is not established by this account. These records do not guarantee that every insect occurs at your planting site.

    Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions

    What are the ideal growing conditions for Switch Grass?
    Light: Full to partial sun. Soil moisture: Moist to mesic.

    How do I germinate and establish Switch Grass from seed?
    USDA lists cold stratification as not required; seed-lot response may vary.

    Is Switch Grass deer and herbivore resistant?
    Deer resistance reported in cultivation guidance; browsing remains possible. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.

    When should I expect Switch Grass to bloom?
    Typical flowering period: Mid-summer. Timing varies with location and weather.

    Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes

    Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Perennial stream corridor — East-central Illinois; Mesic black-soil prairie — Loda Cemetery Prairie — Central Illinois; Mesic sand prairie — Green River Lowlands, northwestern Illinois; Blowing sand — Northwestern Illinois — Mississippi River sand deposits. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.

    Illinois woodland records: Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), Middle Fork Woods flora, Appendix I. © 2008 University of Illinois Board of Trustees, CC BY 4.0. Habitat records transcribed, selected and linked to catalog names by Natural Communities. Survey: 1999–2002.

    Illinois communities & local records: INHS: Loda, Prospect and Weston prairie records; Ebinger et al.: Green River communities (2009).

    Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.

    Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA NRCS northeastern Illinois guide (2004); USDA Forest Service: Bouteloua hirsuta; USDA Forest Service: Calamovilfa longifolia; USDA Forest Service: Elymus canadensis; USDA Forest Service: Juniperus virginiana; USDA Forest Service: Panicum virgatum; USDA Forest Service: Rhus aromatica; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA NRCS PLANTS; Patrick Goggin: Wisconsin native plant guide, p. 75; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA Forest Service: species review; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.

    Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025).

    Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.

    Research notes & credits

    USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.

    Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.

    Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.

    Community records adapted from Ebinger et al. (2009), Table 1, CC BY 4.0; selected facts reorganized by Natural Communities.

    Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.

    Caterpillar research records

    Plant: Panicum virgatum

    Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.

    Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0

    Plant names in the source Source insect record IDs
    Panicum virgatum 200440, 200828, 201825, 203791, 203971, 206593, 208424

    How these records were selected

    To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.

    1. Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
    2. Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
    3. Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
    4. Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.

    Survey communities: Ebinger et al. (2006), Tables 1–12, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin. CC BY 4.0; adapted as dated presence lists, with the source’s non-native records excluded from the displayed native lists.

    Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.

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    We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.

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    Retail & Website Orders

    • Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
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    • Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
    • If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months. 
    • Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
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    Where We Ship

     

     

          What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery

          • Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
          • We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.

           

             Shipments

            • Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.

             

             

            What to Do With Your Plants After  Receiving Your Delivery

            • Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
            • Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
            • Water your plants
            • Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
            • If you cannot install your plants immediately
              • Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
              • Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
              • Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
              • No additional fertilizer is needed
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