Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
FAMILY
Poaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Switchgrass from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25 (2003)
Panicum virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-81-006?:
Panicum virgatum FAMILY Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
COMMON NAME:
Blunt Switchgrass, Savanna Panicgrass, Blunt Panicgrass
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Keith Bradley kab_p_virgatum_cube_77088
June Miami-Dade County FL
Everglades National Park
Panicle narrower than that of var. virgatum, with ascending branches, per Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950).
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Alan S. Weakley asw_10231869849825217
July Hoke County NC
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Bruce A. Sorrie bas_p_virgatum_cubense1
July Scotland County NC
Stems 0.5-1.5m tall, much shorter than var. virgatum (which can reach 3m), per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
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Bruce A. Sorrie bas_p_virgatum_cubense2
July Scotland County NC
)
Bruce A. Sorrie bas_p_virgatum_cubense2b
July Scotland County NC
Spikelets are purplish, becoming tan-colored, 2.8-3.2mm long with acute tip, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
FAMILY
Poaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 25
Panicum virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Panicum virgatum var. virgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 029-81-006?:
Panicum virgatum
FAMILY
Poaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Grasses of the US (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950)
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Panicum virgatum var. cubense
4207
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Habitat: Wet to dry sandy pinelands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in NC Coastal Plain, uncommon in Coastal Plain of GA & SC (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate, 2-ranked (plants lacking a rosette of overwintering basal leaves)
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Spikelets reddish-purple
becoming tan-colored
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Grain grayish
Grain
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Manual of the Grasses of the United States (Hitchcock & Chase, 1950) p697
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p217
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