Plants › grasses
switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Johnson grassSorghum halepense
purpletop tridensTridens flavus
IndiangrassSorghastrum nutans
Guinea GrassMegathyrsus maximus
Smooth WitchgrassPanicum dichotomiflorum
big bluestemAndropogon gerardi
Purple LovegrassEragrostis spectabilis
KleingrassPanicum coloratum
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 22,881 |
|---|---|
| Texas | 7,405 |
| Canada | 3,009 |
| Ontario | 2,734 |
| Illinois | 1,588 |
| New York | 1,030 |
| Minnesota | 911 |
| Wisconsin | 825 |
| Massachusetts | 699 |
| Colorado | 679 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- Human edibleListed as edible by a harvested source. This is a research trait, not foraging advice.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Medicinal useListed as having medicinal use by a harvested source. This is not medical advice.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Fuel useListed as being used for fuel by a harvested source.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Crop wild relativeListed as a crop wild relative or crop gene source by a harvested source.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Restoration or landscaping useListed as being used for restoration, landscaping, ornamental planting, erosion control, soil improvement, shade, windbreaks, pollution indicators, or wastewater purification.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Grass-like growth formListed by a harvested source as having a graminoid or grass-like growth form.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Wetland-associatedListed by a harvested source as obligate or frequent in wetland habitat.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Perennial plantListed by a harvested source as having a perennial life duration.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
Edibility, toxicity and medicinal traits are records from datasets, not advice. Never eat, handle or use a wild species on the strength of an app.
Classification
| Kingdom | Plants · Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Vascular Plants · Tracheophyta |
| Class | monocots · Liliopsida |
| Order | grasses, sedges, cattails, and allies · Poales |
| Family | grasses · Poaceae |
| Genus | panicgrasses · Panicum |
Study it in a deck
- Edible in Baltimore County
- Grasses of New Hampshire, United States
- Medicinal Plants of Baltimore County
- Plants of Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
- Summer Grasses of Maryland
- Survival in Maryland
- Trees of Maryland
- Wetland-associated Species of New Hampshire, United States
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species (CC BY 4.0)
- Traits: USDA PLANTS Characteristics (U.S. Government work / public domain)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise switchgrass with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.