Switchgrass

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Switchgrass flowering

Switchgrass

Switchgrass ligule

Switchgrass

Switchgrass spikelets

Switchgrass in winter

Switchgrass leaf base

Switchgrass

Switchgrass anthers

Morphology

Culm

Erect, solitary or clumped, usually un-branched above base, firm, glabrous.

Blades

Flat, narrow, 4 to 24 inches long, to 3/5 inch wide, nearly glabrous, leaf base with triangular patch of hair on upper surface.

Sheath

Shorter than internodes, glabrous, often reddish or purplish at bases.

Ligule

Dense fringes of hairs.

Inflorescence

Panicles, open, much-branched, ovate to pyramidal, 6 to 20 inches long, usually 1/3 to 1/2 as wide as long; branches long, ascending or spreading, bearing spikelets near ends.

Spikelets

Short-stalked, 2-flowered, egg-shaped, to 1/4 inch long, swollen, prominently nerved, tapered to sharp points; glumes unequal; lemmas 1 fertile, 1 staminate or sterile; awns absent.

Ecology

Habitat

Moist, open lowland prairies, sand prairies, and open woods, on broad range of soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Switchgrass is very nutritious and is readily consumed by livestock. Palatability declines rapidly as plant matures. Switchgrass makes good hay when cut young.

Uses

Many birds and mammals eat the seeds and foliage and use the plant for cover.

Additional Notes