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Panicum virgatum

L.

Old Switch Panicgrass

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151015
Element CodePMPOA4K2D0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderCyperales
FamilyPoaceae
GenusPanicum
Other Common Names
Panic raide (FR) Switchgrass (EN) switchgrass (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-19
Change Date1984-06-18
Edition Date2024-08-19
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Panicum virgatum is a perennial graminoid in a variety of habitats occurring natively in North America from Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan, Canada south to Florida west to Arizona, United States south to Central America, and in Bermuda with three varieties. It is introduced in South America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Panicum virgatum occurs natively in North America from Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan, Canada south to Florida west to Arizona, United States south to Central America, and in Bermuda (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). It is introduced in South America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Native range extent was estimated to be over 14 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). See individual entries for distribution details about the three varieties.
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, succession, invasive species, sea-level rise, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Panicum virgatum grows in "tallgrass prairies, especially mesic to wet types where it is a major component of the vegetation, and on dry slopes, sand, open oak or pine woodlands, shores, river banks, and brackish marshes" (FNA 2003).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavannaGrassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
Bog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
Prince Edward IslandSNANo
ManitobaS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
SaskatchewanS2Yes
QuebecS2Yes
New BrunswickSNANo
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoSNRYes
NevadaS2Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
HawaiiSNANo
West VirginiaS5Yes
ColoradoS4Yes
MarylandSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
MontanaS3Yes
IowaS4Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
VermontS3Yes
New YorkSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
IndianaS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
FloridaS4Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
WyomingS3Yes
DelawareSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
North Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 25. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Poaceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxv + 781 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.