Download 16. Switchgrass - Friess Lake School District

Common Name of Plant: Switchgrass
Scientific Name of Plant: Pannicum vigratum
Average Height of Plant: 3-6 ft
Blooming Time: June to late summer
Ask the Botanist
What are the leaves like?
Switchgrass has green blade-like leaves. The texture is sharp, paper-like, and smooth. The
leaves can have a reddish tint. In fall they can turn a yellowish color. They usually will be
about a ½ inch wide and 13 in. tall. The blades hold the flower and the seeds. The leaves are
simple, not compound. The leaves are skinny and easy to bend. They don’t have any petioles
and have vertical leaves. The leaves face all directions. On the stem, leaves appear alternate.
The leaves are easy to tear and when crushed, they smell like “freshly cut grass.”
What type of flowers bloom on this plant?
Red flowers bloom on this plant from June-August. The flowers that bloom on this plant are
small, bud-likes, and grouped together. This is called a panicle. The panicles are on the end
of the stem and can grow to be 10 inches long and 5 ½ inches wide. Usually after August, the
flowers die off and are replaced with seeds.
What is unusual about the seedpods or seeds of this plant?
The seeds on the plant are beige and cluster together on the tops of the grass. The shape of the
seed cluster is the same as that of the flower. The seeds are very small and tear-dropped
shaped, about an eighth of an inch long. The inside of the seed grows in layers. The layers
inside are red and light green in color.
How is this plant important to animals? Has it also been used by people?
This plant is important to animals because it provides food for cattle, horses, and other
livestock. People use this plant to make biofuel which is a cleaner fuel so it doesn’t pollute the
atmosphere. Muskrats eat switchgrass, deer make their nests in it, and songbirds also use the
stems to make their nests. Many birds and small mammals eat switchgrass or use it for cover.
Is there anything else unusual about this plant?
The flower and seed cluster at the top of the plant is similar in shape to a “switch” used on
cattle to urge them to move. This may explain how it got its name. Switchgrass spreads by
rhizomes, which are underground stems. There is usually not one switchgrass plant by itself
because when it’s windy, the seeds spread and more plants grow. Switchgrass can get up to
ten feet tall. Switchgrass is a perennial plant, which means it lasts a long time.
Pictures
Whole Plant
Leaf
Flower and Buds
Plant in Autumn
Plant Emerging in Spring