Witch Grass

Description

Panicum capillare, also known as Witch Grass, is a native summer annual grass that grows to about 36″. It prefers dry to mesic soil conditions.

The caterpillars of several skippers feed on the foliage of panic grasses, including Indian Skipper, Hobomok Skipper, Tawny-Edged Skipper, and Northern Broken-Dash; also larvae of the leaf-miner moths feed on these grasses. The seeds of panic grasses are an important source of food to upland gamebirds and granivorous songbirds. The foliage is occasionally eaten by rabbits and hoofed mammalian herbivores, especially when it is young and tender.

The seeds of Witch Grass have the capacity to pass through the digestive tracts of horses, cattle, swine, and sheep while remaining viable. Thus, these animals help to spread this grass into new areas.

Habitats include disturbed areas of prairies (including sand and gravel prairies), limestone and sandstone glades, chert and granite glades, gravel bars near rivers, gravelly areas along railroads, fields, construction sites, and barren waste areas.

This plant is commonly used in the following mixes:

Companion Grass Mix – Dry, Companion Grass Mix – Mesic, Companion Grass Mix – Shade

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